Swords and Roses
by Sage1988
Summary: AU. Harry Tyrell the counterpart to Harry Potter, born the second son of House Tyrell dares to dream. He will not be a sword at the side of his brother, a knight of the Kingsguard or what else his family plans. He will make his own destiny and show the world what 'Growing Strong' really means. Image is curtsey of NyxxNoxx.
1. Chapter 1 Sprouting Roses

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._**

 _Welcome everyone to my newest story, this time based around House Tyrell._

 _I have aged some of the characters up for this story but only in House Tyrell. Loras was now born in 277 AC with Harry being born a year later. Margaery was still born in 284 AC. Sine I do not know which family the current Lady Tyrell comes from I have simply not mentioned it._

 _Some chapters will be longer than other, it depends on how much there is for Harry to do as this story will focus more centrally on him._

 _On with the show…_

 **Chapter 1 – Sprouting Roses**

 _The multiverse is vast, its true extent is determined solely by the imagination of the person who chooses to dive into its immense depths. Anything and everything can happen there, especially if you are Harry Potter._

 _In many worlds Harry is a wizard on twentieth century Earth and has to save the world from Lord Voldemort. In some he fails and in others he succeeds, some he becomes a villain in his own right or a hero beyond measure but in each of these versions of him often share the same traits in common and carry either the same name or a variation of it. Every single possibility is played out in every single detail._

 _In the world of ice and fire, he could have been born into House Stark and been the most honourable and fiercest of all of its wolves, or into House Lannister and been a roaring lion feared across the land. In any of the more famous and storied houses he would have made his mark on history. But this time he was born into the house of roses, House Tyrell. What will his legacy be? How will he play the great game or will it play him?_

* * *

 _ **Highgarden, the Reach…**_

In one of the many groves of Highgarden Olenna Tyrell was eating her breakfast, enjoying the morning sun as she took a brief respite from all the politics and intrigue that came from ruling Highgarden in all but name. Her cunning had given her the title 'The Queen of Thorns', something that she thought with a smile was well earned as she might bend people with sweet words or cut them with her thorns. However just as she dabbed her lips with a napkin to clean her mouth a crash made her sigh. At this hour of the morning she thought wearily there could only be one cause for such a disturbance.

"Harry!" Olenna Tyrell called out as she saw her favourite grandson run off at surprising speed, paying her cry no mind with a knight sworn to their family chasing after him. She might love her grandson's lust for life and beaming smile but his tendency for pulling pranks on members of their household and talent for winding people up was grating on her nerves. Loras might be the eldest but he was showing signs of being as much of a fool as his father and Harry while showing greater intelligence than both his older brother and father put together was too wild in her mind to be reliable. She was despairing at the future of her house if she could not get Loras to be smarter although she knew from personal experience that it was highly unlikely to work or and she was somewhat worried about this she somehow got Harry to calm down and act more responsibly.

Even the birth of her granddaughter, Margaery could not ease her troubled mind. While she hoped that the girl once old enough would be a good protégé, it was not Margaery that was going to rule Highgarden one day. She had to get at least one of her grandson's to shape up or her house was going to struggle badly once she was gone Olenna thought with a touch of arrogance that she would never acknowledge. So as she sipped some clean and refreshing water in her private grove she thought how in the world she was going to deal with this crisis she had found herself in. It took a considerable while but then she remembered a letter from Lord Hewitt earlier in the year, asking if he might foster one of his daughters at Highgarden. The boldness of his suggestion had instantly stopped Mace from accepting it insulting the Hewitts which was enough of a worry on its own, but he unlike Olenna could not see why Lord Hewitt was doing it. He wanted his daughter to get close to Loras so she could convince him to marry her when they were old enough and be the new Lady of Highgarden. Olenna could admire his confidence although if the girl was not up to it Olenna thought darkly she would never let her get close to the throne of Highgarden.

Still Lord Hewitt was one of their strongest vassals and a smart man with considerable influence in their naval forces given his islands serviced their fleet. He was also a good ruler with a strong and intelligent head on his shoulder, someone she wanted on her side so her mind pondered on how she might keep him in the fold while bringing her grandsons in line until finally she came up with a plan. Lord Hewitt's chosen daughter would be fostered here, that way she could see if the girl chosen was good enough to take her place here and Harry would be fostered at Oldtown where hopefully Lord Hightower could manage him until he calmed down. It was a risky plan she knew but no one won the Game of Thrones without taking chances she thought to herself.

 **-x-**

Unaware of what his grandmother was planning for him, Harry was hiding in the gardens to avoid Ser Cole after he had put a pie in his boots. He nearly laughed again as he recalled the expression on Cole's face when he had quite literally put his foot in it. It had been worth being chased around the gardens and the lecture he was surely going to get from his grandmother Olenna and the shouting from his father Mace. He did feel bad for his grandmother though, he loved her dearly and few people seemed as strong willed or as clever as her. She seemed to believe he could be more than just a sword at the side of his older brother Loras who he had no respect for at all. Loras was completely pompous and arrogant, trying to boss him about but Harry had other plans for his future.

He wanted to travel the world, explore and see all that it had too offer. He was thankful that Loras had been born before him as he did not have the Lordship of the Reach hanging over his head however much Loras boasted of it to him thinking no doubt that it was something his brother craved. It was enough to make the six year old laugh, grandmother would surely have her hands full trying to make a half decent lord out of Loras Harry thought with mirth.

When finally it started to become quiet again and the knights moved on he returned to the castle and smirked as he saw the frowns on the faces of Loras and his father who looked ready to explode only to be cut off at the knees by his grandmother who spoke first.

"Mace go and get your supper while I talk to my grandson in peace." Her voice was sharp and instantly sent both Loras and Mace scurrying off to the hall for their supper like a pair of errant boys. Harry smiled and Olenna could not help but smile too as she felt his boundless energy and enthusiasm but she shook herself and managed to school her features into a stern mask before she gestured for him to follow her to her rooms where she planned to discuss the future with him. Once they had arrived she closed the door.

"Sit Harry. I have something to tell you." Olenna told him and the boy surprised her by doing as he was told, no she thought to herself that was not so odd. Harry did do what she told him to most of the time it was Mace or Loras he ignored. It was strange but he did remind her of the sort of person she had been at that age; daring, wilful and respecting only those that she felt deserved it. His eyes were bright as looked at her, curious at what she meant to tell him. It brought joy to her old and cynical bones that she had at last been rewarded with a capable Tyrell male after putting up with Luther and Mace for years so she decided to get straight to business. "You will be fostered at Oldtown with Lord Hightower while Lord Hewitt's daughter comes here, your father has insulted the man so to keep our house strong I need you to go down to Oldtown as a sign of out trust and recognition." She told him simply and Harry just nodded, making Olenna honestly believe that he could understand what she was telling him and her hopes for him increased in strength.

She was right too Harry could understand, he knew how big of a fool his father was, insulting their vassals by taking credit for their achievements and the Hightowers were one of the most powerful and respected houses in the Reach. Building better relations with them would ensure their position for the foreseeable future. Harry's face became serious as he asked his grandmother.

"What should I do while I am there?" He would travel once he was old enough but for the moment he was still too young so he realised he should take the time to learn all that he could now so he would be prepared later when he was out in the world with little to protect him.

"Learn all that you can from the Hightowers; they are a smart family after all." Olenna told him with her own face now serious too. "And look how people interact, how they talk and find out what drives them. Once you know that you can turn it to your advantage." She said, hoping that it would help him learn to play the game. It was only a start but it was one of the most fundamental lessons.

Harry nodded, knowing somehow that his life was about to get more interesting.

 **-x-**

The following morning Harry was saying good bye to his family as he went to go and spent the rest of his childhood at Oldtown. Loras had not even bothered to see his brother off while their mother was in tears and she clung to him for a few minutes as she cried gently into his shoulder. He would have felt embarrassed if this was not the last time he would see her for a while, so he gently returned her hugs.

"Make sure to wrap up warm and behave for the Hightowers. Obey your grandfather. Write every day." She urged him with her eyes raw from crying, even though he was going to live with her family. Harry smiled and told her.

"Yes mother." She gave him one last hug before his father came up to him. Harry looked at his father and wondered how such a man could come from Olenna Tyrell. He puffed up almost like that fish that the maesters had taught him about and said grandly.

"Perhaps Lord Hightower can make a proper knight out of you that will not shame this family." Mace said and he did not even notice Harry's eyes narrow or Olenna's for that matter and Harry only said back coldly.

"Goodbye father." Feeling anger that he was just able to conceal with the help of his grandmother's teachings he got onto the cart and the company of knights that were escorting him to Oldtown began to move off. He smiled and waved to his grandmother and his mother who waved back while his father just walked back into the castle without a backwards glance which annoyed Harry even more, making him glad that he was going to be away from his buffoon of a father for some time.

 **-x-**

As their company passed through the Reach on their way to Oldtown, Harry enjoyed camping out under the stars some nights when they could not stay in any inns. Looking out at the bright sky, Harry entertained himself by making up his own constellations like the dragon, the rose, the wolf and the lion. He felt his urge to explore intensify wondering what new constellations he might see on shores far from Westeros if he ever got the chance.

When he got up the following morning he decided to take an early morning swim in the shallower areas of the River Mandor where its current was not as strong. The knights that were supposed to be watching him were too busy having their breakfast or packing up the camp so with a daredevil smile he stripped down and dived into the cool water. Swimming was no problem he had always enjoyed the water having been taught to swim from an early age and the current was gentle. He dived beneath the surface of the water and looked at the strange environment underneath its surface.

The fish swum past and the plants moved in the slight current and he smiled, enjoying the cool water when suddenly a glint on the riverbed caught his eye. He swum down to the area and brushed aside the mud and saw a strange looking ring, he pulled it free of the mud putting it onto his small finger and brushed more of the mud aside and saw a bastard sword's hilt and a rather strange looking lump of stone. Harry surfaced briefly for air before he returned to shore and the left the ring before diving back under the water and dragged first the sword and then the stone to the bank. Seeing that the knights had yet to notice his absence, Harry dried himself off before he started cleaning the mud off of his scavenged items.

The sword drew his attention first but that was to be expected of a young lad with dreams of adventure and glory. Wiping away the mud Harry was excited to the ripples in the steel which was coloured black, Harry knew from the maesters who had taught him that this was only be seen in Valyrian steel and he wondered if the sword had a name. Cleaning away the last of the mud from the hilt he saw a shining cross guard of black steel decorated with golden interlocking rings. The leather on the grip was ruined from years under water but the remains had once been bright blue it appeared. Harry's eyes widened as he realised that he was holding _Orphan-maker_ , the Valyrian steel sword of House Roxton, lost during the second battle of Tumbleton during the Dance of Dragons. How in the blazes it had ended up in the Mander Harry did not know but he was grateful all the same. The rest of House Roxton had perished in that war so no-one was left to lay claim to the sword. Harry thought with glee that this was his sword now. He tried to lift it only to be annoyed at how heavy it was. He comforted himself however with the thought that once he had grown enough it would be easy to lift.

Reluctantly putting the sword aside he turned to the odd shaped stone he had found and wiped it clean of the mud. It was then he saw the strange colours of the stone; it was a bright bronze that gleamed in the sun and when the mud had been washed from its various edges Harry noticed it was almost like the stone had scales and felt warm to the touch even after all the time in the water. A dragon egg, Harry thought with awe. He had often dreamt of flying high above the clouds maybe this was a sign that he might.

Reluctantly he then turned to the final item he had retrieved from the river, the mysterious ring. Due to its small size it did not take long to clean but it was a strange thing as Harry could swear that it was glowing slightly and was warm to the touch. The setting was normal gold but the stone was overly large and dark reminding Harry of dragonglass in its colouring but it was as smooth and strong as diamond. What really caught his eye however was the symbol that had been carved into it, a triangle with a circle inside with a line straight down the centre. It was like no coat of arms Harry had learned of during his time with the maesters but somehow he felt that it was important.

 **-x-**

 _ **Oldtown. Three Days later…**_

It had been hard Harry conceded to hide his new treasures from the men that were accompanying him to Oldtown knowing full well that they would take the sword, egg and ring from him should they be discovered for themselves after all the egg and the sword would be worth a fortune. Tywin Lannister would probably make someone a lord or at least a very wealthy man just for the sword or so Harry had heard.

So he had wrapped them carefully in his bed roll and spare clothes so he was glad to finally arrive at the place where he would be spending the rest of his childhood…Oldtown. His eyes were wide with wonder as he took in the sights; the city was beautiful with its white stone buildings that had been carved with such care and attention to detail. And it was fascinating to see all of the people bustling about the markets, shops, halls and docks of the oldest city in Westeros. They rode past the Citadel, home of the Maesters but it was the great lighthouse and castle that gave the ruling family its name, Hightower that caught Harry's eye.

Well Harry thought with awe, it was certainly a sight to behold. The island known as Battle Island that it stood on was a relatively small mass of black stone but the castle/lighthouse soared high into the sky. The highest man made structure in the known world according to the maesters, even taller than the Wall in the North. Made of the same white stone as the rest of the city it was a formidable structure and the burning beacon on the very top must on a dark night be visible for miles Harry thought very impressed at all of the effort that must have gone into building such a structure.

They had to take a boat to reach Battle Island as it sat in the mouth of the harbour and there was no bridges. The slight rocking of the boat was of small consideration to Harry who stared at Hightower with awe, he was really looking forward to exploring the enormous building and nearly leapt from the boat the moment it was close enough to the small dock only to remember the manners that Olenna had forced him to learn or else he would never lift a sword or ride a horse ever again. So he impatiently waited for the boat to dock and climbed out where Lord Leyton Hightower, his grandfather was waiting. The man was tall and stern looking, nowhere near as much fun as his grandmother Olenna Harry thought to himself but he nevertheless greeted him as the man's station demanded and bowed.

"Lord Hightower, thank you for granting me the warmth of your home. I am truly honoured." Harry said with a calm but respectful voice. Lord Hightower nodded imperiously before saying to his most unruly grandson.

"I have been tasked by your father and grandmother to make you a son worthy of a great house, I personally have heard word of your unruliness and intend to put a stop to such childishness once and for all."

The coldness of the tone of voice and the glare sent his way made Harry frown, he had not been that much of a menace had he? A few pranks and skipped lessons but nothing extreme and no one had been hurt. Well he thought with annoyance to himself if Lord Hightower thought he was going to be a good little boy and do everything he was told then he had another thing coming Harry decided indignantly.

He was bid to follow Lord Hightower into the castle and while still fuming inside Harry walked a step behind him.

 **-x-**

Later just after dinner where Lord Hightower had introduced Harry to the rest of his family who were just as stuck up as Lord Hightower himself, Harry was sitting in his room missing Highgarden already. He distracted himself from thoughts of pranks he might pull on them by studying the ring he had found in the river. He did not know why but it seemed that every time he looked at it, it was like his eyes were trying to trick him. It was like there was some kind of aura coming off it, a faint purple light almost like smoke but the moment he blinked it was gone. He had considered showing it to the maester to see if he could find out who had owned the ring but something held him back.

The impulse to keep the ring to himself confused Harry as he had no real reason to do so but regardless it was a gut feeling and so far his gut had not let him down. He was turning the ring over and over again in his hands, wondering who might have once owned it when suddenly a figure appeared in the centre of the room. Harry leapt to his feet and threw a small book from his bedside table at the stranger but to his great surprise the book went straight through him. The stranger was quite annoyed by the attack and spoke indignantly to Harry.

"Do you mind young man? I might be dead but it does not mean I enjoy having objects thrown through me." Harry was confused and at a lost in regards to what he was going to say. Honestly he thought to himself what did you say to a ghost? Especially after you just threw a book through him Harry thought and asked a rather stupid question.

"Are you really dead?" The stranger puffed up with non-existent air as offended by the question.

"Of course I am. How else could the Stone of Resurrection bring me here to this place?" The Stranger said in a huff and Harry looked down at the ring with curiosity. Before asking his next question, Harry finally looked at the stranger and was intrigued by his appearance. He was tall but slim, not very well muscled and had the air of a scholar about him, down to the scrolls in his hands. He was of Valyrian origin; silver hair and purple eyes and wore robes of white silk. Needing answers and wondering just what it was that he was holding in his hand, Harry asked his next question.

"What is the Stone of Resurrection?" Harry looked intently and the stranger seemed to struggle for a moment before finally answering.

"It is a conduit through which the dead can return to the world of the living for a brief time and the summoned spirit cannot fail to answer any question you ask. Each world has one although in some worlds it is paired with a wand and cloak that is not the case here." The stranger said angrily, not wanting to answer the question but having no choice and Harry's eyes widened at what he had said.

"Any one that I choose and they have to answer any question I ask? At no cost to me?" Harry asked just to confirm what the stranger had said. Again the man struggled to not speak but could not resist telling Harry what he wanted to know.

"YES! AND YOU ARE FREE TO USE IT WITHOUT COST!" The man snapped and Harry was temporary overwhelmed by the sheer possibilities that now were open to him. Any question he wanted answered, any person he might want to talk too now within reach. He concentrated and the stranger disappeared, sent back to the world beyond. In his place was a man that Harry had wanted to meet since he had first heard of his legend.

"Ser Aemon Targaryen." Harry said as he looked at the most famous knight that had ever lived. Known as the Dragonknight, he was said to have been the greatest knight that had ever lived with such a skill at swordplay that he was honoured by wielding the ancestral Targaryen sword _Dark Sister_. He was a splendid sight indeed and Harry was suddenly very nervous as he was faced with such a great warrior especially one he idolised. Aemon looked angry for a moment at having his rest interrupted but Harry spoke before he could call Harry out on summoning him here, managing to look the legendary knight in the eyes however anxious it made him. "I am so very honoured to meet you."

Aemon looked at him strangely for a moment before bursting out laughing much to Harry's embarrassment and told the young lad with mirth still in his eyes.

"No worry lad, it is nice to talk to someone who can look me in the eyes. Many were too nervous or scared of my house during my century, except for Naerys." Aemon said with a smile remembering the love of his life.

Harry was instantly put at ease and excitedly asked.

"How did you become such a good swordsman? Was it talent or just training?"

Aemon looked at him with the air of mirth before answering. "A mix of both lad, natural talent might give you a head start but if you do not strengthen and sharpen yourself with training you will not last long. If I had put my faith completely in my own talent, Cregan Stark would have beaten me easily. That man was the finest opponent I ever faced."

Harry's face lit up with a smile and nearly jumping up and down with excitement asked. "Can you show me?"

Aemon smiled, liking the idea of training a student. Apart from spending time with Naerys and their secret daughter Daenerys making him laugh at getting one over on that fat idiot Aegon IV, teaching was something he enjoyed. So he drew his ghostly blade and said.

"Do as I do."

* * *

 _That was the first chapter to get things started._

 _Harry will get the memories of the Canon verse so do not worry about that._

 _Please review and let me know what you think?_


	2. Chapter 2 The Travels begin

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _Warning – Slight Sexual content_

 **Chapter 2 – The Travels begin**

 _ **Oldtown, the Docks…**_

The night was already well upon the people of Oldtown and many of the sailors were either sleeping on their ships or more commonly enjoying their coin in the taverns and brothels of the city. One in particular that night was particularly rowdy, the Quill and Tankard set on Honeywine Island. It had never closed in over six hundred years of operation according to legend. The sailors inside were enjoying their ale and singing songs aplenty while a game of cards was played. The sailors were gambling any treasure or money that they had to hand either on the table or between themselves on who they thought would win.

The pile on the table grew higher with whatever object of value could be found was bet. Jewellery, coins from many different places, musical instruments, maps and perfumes anything that could be worth something was wagered.

The group of gamblers that were sat at the table were looking at their cards, eyes confident although that was more to do with the fact that many of them were completely drunk and would have fallen over if not for the fact they were sitting down. However the hooded figure at the head of the table who so far tonight had the largest pile of loot was no sailor and nor was he drunk. He might have bought dinks for people sometimes to lure them into the game but he had not touched a drop of ale all night. No one could clearly see his face or even if they had looked up his hood could they really remember what they had seen. He held his cards carefully, judging his hand and gave the appearance of wondering if it was good enough with the occasional hum before finally making his decision.

"I raise." He said offering a small pile of coins for the pile, his voice giving a slight quiver as if he was not quite sure. The sailors smiled thinking that it was a bluff and decided to call, shoving what possessions that they had left into their own piles, all confident that they had the winning hand.

"All in." They sneered at the figure sitting at the head of the table, who unbeknown to them smirked under his hood before lying down his hand and revealing a straight flush while they only had two a pair or a straight. Some had nothing at all and all the sailors looked shell-shocked at the hand presented to them while the hooded man quickly swept his winnings up in a bag before any of the sailors got their wits back. And when finally the largest of them realised what had happened he snarled at the hooded man.

"YOU LITTLE!" Whatever else he might have said was interrupted by the hooded stranger throwing a number of coins in the air and shouting out as loud as possible.

"NEXT ROUND OF DRINKS ARE ON ME!"

The reaction was exactly what he had wanted as people leapt forward to get the coins that he had thrown so they could get a free drink. The angry sailors were cut off by the swatch of people while the hooded stranger made his escape out of the door. He dived around a corner and into an alley before any of the angry sailors could force their way through the crowd and a popping sound could be heard if anyone had been really listening. The sailors when they finally rushed out of the building, splitting up to try and find the hooded stranger only to be disappointed as he was long gone.

 **-x-**

In a room at Hightower the popping sound heralded the arrival of the hooded stranger who smirked as he lowered his hood, revealing Harry Tyrell now aged fifteen years old who was smiling as he looked through the bag to see what he had gotten tonight. Shrugging off the cloak he saw the number of coins from different places as you might expect from sailors, not much but enough to add to the small fortune he was gathering.

But his favourite gain from his nightly excursions was on his own finger, a ring that had been styled like a dragon with runic engravings and tiny rubies for eyes. He had taken to wearing that ring as it was made of Valyrian steel and had been a great aide in focusing his powers, like a wand.

He then went to his dresser and pulled it open before opening another compartment that was hidden where he kept his other private stash. Aside from the coins he had acquired a few rings and necklaces, bracelets and other pieces of jewellery and valuables. Grinning from ear to ear he looked at the flute from Lys that had been teaching himself to play and the Myrish maps and navigation equipment he had acquired from a sea captain who had bet it when he was too deep into his cups. _Orphan maker_ , the bronze coloured dragon egg and the Resurrection Stone also peaked out at him; the things that he favoured most and did not dare show yet. Harry honestly was glad to have kept them to himself as knowing his father Mace would have claimed the sword at the very least as his own. That brought a frown to his face but only for a moment before he put away the new additions before closing off the secret compartment and changing his clothes to grab a few hours of sleep before he was due in yard tomorrow.

 **-x-**

The morning was bright and crisp as the men worked in the yard to improve their swordsmanship, spectators gathered to watch. Many ladies giggled as they watched knights, both young and old flexing their muscles but in one area three men duelled with a boy of fifteen years.

Harry was using two wooden training swords to deflect their attacks away from himself as he moved with between each one, parrying and shielding his body with a grace and skill born of many hours training and advice from the ghost of Aemon the Dragonknight. The men opposite him might be older but Harry smiled as he managed to score a 'killing blow' on a man twice his age and then wasted no time in disarming another with a hit on the arm before making a stabbing motion that it done with a real sword would have resulted in death.

Harry feeling content turned to the last man standing and twirled his swords in a complex ready pattern to unnerve the man further. Aemon had taught him that unsettling your opponent could be just as effective as changing fighting styles, unsettled they were more prone to mistakes and not fighting with their full focus. It had the desired effect as the middle-aged knight, who was already shocked at how quickly Harry had dispatched his fellows. The smirk on young Harry's face reminded the knight more of a shark than a boy of fifteen who without missing a beat moved in for the 'kill'. His left sword slashed forward which the knight managed to block only for the right to come forward in a stabbing motion, directed straight at the knight's groin.

Harry smirked in victory while the knight could only drop his sword in defeat, he then walked over and shook the defeated knight's hand.

"Good match." Harry told him, being gracious in victory would hopefully not earn him too many enemies this early on as the ghosts had taught him. The defeated knight took it with good grace and walked away to preserve what was left of his tattered pride. A boy about Harry's own age walked over and frowned in mock seriousness.

"We are going to run out of men to fight you soon. Nearly every knight in our family's service has been humiliated by your sword work. They spend hours complaining about it in the taverns." He might have been frowning but Gunthor's eyes were sparkling with amusement. Harry just laughed and said.

"Well they should be more focused on improving their own skills than moaning about me." Both young men laughed and knocked fists together. When Harry had arrived at Hightower the family had kept him at arm's length for a while but one night he had come across Gunthor, the second son of Ser Baelor Hightower (who himself was Lord Hightower heir) drunkenly shouting up at the moon one night that he was going to be the greatest knight that House Hightower had ever produced. That he would serve as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard like Ser Gerold 'White Bull' Hightower before him and that he would remind the realm of how powerful and important the Hightowers were. Harry had helped him back to his room and then the following morning when Gunthor had stumbled into the yard with a hangover Harry had sat him down and given him some tea until he was sensible enough to fight, never telling Lord Hightower how drunk Gunthor had been.

It had been a strange start to a friendship but none the less they had over the years become close, sparring and joking with each other as only two young men could. However they could not spar today as Lord Hightower then showed up and said with his normal stern voice.

"Quite true. It is always easier to blame your own failings on others than take the responsibility yourself. Gunthor, your father wishes to see you now."

Gunthor nodded and ran off to find his father while Lord Hightower stayed and stared imperiously at Harry who just stood there matching his gaze. Finally Lord Hightower spoke when he was sure that he had Harry's full attention.

"Impressive, your skill with a blade is remarkable for one so young. It reminds me of my late uncle Ser Gerold Hightower, the White Bull. Perhaps you might make a decent knight yet." Lord Hightower said briskly, giving a rare compliment which Harry knew from his years under the man's care meant he was truly impressed.

"Thank you Lord Hightower." Harry said with a small bow and then asked. "Is there something wrong my lord? It is unusual to see you in the yard." Harry to his knowledge had only seen Lord Hightower here once and that was to introduce him to the castle's master at arms when it was time for him to start learning to wield a sword, so something must be up. Harry wondered if his father might have actually done something really stupid this time and started a war or done the Reach a favour by dying and letting his grandmother have free reign as regent until Loras came of age and guided him as she had done Mace. Either was a possibility.

Many would consider his thoughts cold and uncaring if they knew them but Harry was merely being practical. His grandmother knew more about ruling and had more common sense in her little finger than his father had in his whole body. The number of lords he had insulted beggared belief and it was only a matter of time before someone would do something about it rather than take it quietly.

"No my young ward, nothing is wrong just the opposite. Your father has arranged for you to wed Lady Elinor Ashford once you come of age. This will of course make you the Lord of Ashford as she is the last of her house. Congratulations, you return to Highgarden tomorrow." Lord Hightower said without emotion not caring a jot whether Harry considered this good news or not and swiftly departed while Harry was still stunned at the declaration.

Harry however soon got over the shock and began to visibly flume with anger, causing many in the yard to give him a wide berth, fearing an outburst. This move just reeked of his father's stupidity Harry thought, his grandmother would at least have gotten a marriage alliance outside of the Reach to whoever it might be to dampen internal conflict. His father on the other hand wanted to get his grubby little claws on Ashford and its castle. If Lady Elinor was closer to his own age Harry might have even gone along with it even if he had no interest in the woman but the dowager lady was in her late sixties and given that she had a great nephew in House Rowan with his own strong claim to Ashford this would majorly insult one of the Tyrell's strongest vassals at the same time, the strongest next to House Tarly who had their own reasons to hate the Tyrells. It might be naïve of him but marrying a woman that was nearly seventy with the sole intention of waiting for her to die so he could claim her castle…well Harry shuddered in how appalling he found it. Not mention it might well end his family if the Rowans decided to fight them for it and the Tarly's sided with them.

His decision was made in seconds, he was not going to go along with his father's plan but he would not simply protest for that approach with his father's stubbornness would get him nowhere. The best thing would be to say that he was going to travel for a time before returning home for his wedding…ideally after Lady Ashford had died. If that happened while he was abroad then House Rowan would claim the castle and there would be no upset created. With his plan set he returned to his room and ordered the maids to prepare a bath for him while he looked through the stockpile of money and treasures he had gathered. The money would be enough to see him right for a time and if he could join one of the larger sellsword companies which with his skills would not be difficult, that should enable him to stay abroad for a few years. Hopefully long enough that he could avoid his upcoming nuptials.

He was quick to hide his stash when the maids arrived with the bath and he dismissed them as soon as he was able. Slipping into the warm water he started to plan his escape from Hightower, the uptight Lord Hightower would never let him go if his liege lord had ordered otherwise so how best to slip away Harry wondered?

The obvious way would be to buy passage on a ship but that would eat into his funds and he might well be caught before he could leave.

So Harry thought with a smile that left his personal talent. He felt the warm energy moving up and around his hand as he conjured a ball of light in the palm of his hand, enjoying the power that flowed through him, another gift of the ring although an unintended one.

A year or so after using the Stone of Resurrection Harry had started having the weirdest dreams, the strangest of images of another world.

Another life and more to the point another boy named Harry. Except he carried the name Potter rather than Tyrell. It had been strange, like looking at a distorted reflection in the mirror but one thing that stood out more than anything else in the crazy adventures of the other Harry was that he had magic, learning to control in some great old castle. Intrigued Harry Tyrell had pondered if he could use magic too since he had no wand but on the off chance he might he had tried the _lumos_ spell and a ball of light much to his own surprise had appeared in the palm of his hand. In his excitement he had lost concentration but with diligent practice he had managed to copy all of the abilities of his alternate self with his special dragon ring acting as a foci to make things easier although he might be able to do it without but it would be more exhausting. Teleporting was one talent that had proven especially useful and was the key to his escape now.

With his great speed he gathered his all clothes, especially his simple leather travelling clothes that were tough and durable and a pack that he had layered with a weightless charm and for it to be bigger on the inside. Putting his small number of possessions inside and the specially prepared tent and hanging a pouch of money from his belt, he thought about where he should go. The downsides of magical teleportation was that you had to know where you were going unless you wanted to leave parts of yourself behind or end up in the middle of a wall.

But a trip to Braavos with Lord Hightower years before provided a way around that. He had seen the city with his own eyes and knew full well where he could land without being seen. A portkey would be best he thought to avoid losing too much energy by teleporting himself over there, so with that in mind he sat down and wrote three letters; one to Lord Hightower explaining his flight from the castle, another to Gunthor and a more personal one for his grandmother so she would understand why he had done this.

Leaving the letters on the dresser he took a firm hold of a strip of cloth and said aloud as he concentrated his energy into it with the image of a back alley he had seen in Braavos.

" _Portus."_ He said and the strip of white fabric glowed briefly a strange blue, with one last look around and excitement buzzing inside him as he took the first step in his dream of travelling the world he then said. _"Activate."_

With a jerk to the naval and a slight popping sound Harry Tyrell disappeared from Westeros and would not return for a long time.

* * *

 **Braavos…**

It was a warm morning in Braavos, but quiet as many were still in their beds, so no-one saw or even heard the slight pop that heralded Harry's arrival in the city.

When he finally regained his balance and forced his stomach to calm down he pulled his tent from his pack and with a wave of his hand and a bit of magic it assembled itself in moments. He checked the wards to keep people away and the runes that hid it from the eyes of other people without powers. He then briefly looked down at his clothes and quickly changed out of the fine tunic and breeches in green and emblazoned with the image of a golden rose which would announce his affiliation to House Tyrell, instead dressing in sturdy but well-made and discreet black leather. Many sailors wore such garments and there were many sailors in this city so he hoped it would help him blend in.

Certain that everything was set he walked out onto the street and took in a breath of sea air as he looked out on the city.

It was a truly impressive sight, the entire city was nestled in a lagoon and was much like the city of Venice on the other world. Large canals stretching right across the city with paved walkways and sculpted bridges over them build on hundreds of small islands, a small wonder then that the city was sometimes called Braavos of the Hundred Isles.

He walked down the streets which now started coming to life as merchants and fishermen came out to make their daily coin. There were so many different ethnicities here that no one even gave him a second look. He walked past so many stalls in the market place that he honestly believed you could find anything you wanted here but he was used to such things from living in Oldtown for so long. With that in mind he went to see some of the cities more impressive landmarks.

The easiest to find was the great Titan of Braavos, Harry smiled when he saw the enormous statue of a warrior wondering how the freed slaves of Valyria had built such a structure, a perfectly carved stone soldier in full battle gear covered in bronze to prevent corrosion. It was a shame he could not go up to the top he mused, the view would have been spectacular. Then he had a rather silly idea, or what his grandmother would have called silly if she had known about it. He smiled ducking into a side street and looked this way and that before he vanished with a pop.

The wind was rather jarring when he reappeared on the top of statue's head, at over four hundred feet above ground it was to be expected but while a shiver went through Harry as he established firm footing the view was indeed worth it. You could see for miles in every direction, clear and unobstructed except for the arm of the statue that held his sword. Looking out to sea Harry could see dozens of ships either entering or leaving the harbour but these large vessels were reduced to the size of toys at this height. He was bright eyed and almost ready to pick them up but he instead turned around and looked towards the city which was even more impressive like an oil painting stretching into the distance. He could see the place called Drowned Town, the oldest part of the city barely sitting up out of the water. The many dockyards spread along the water front and the large building that was the Iron Bank in the distance.

He could well believe that it was the most powerful building in the world as despite it being smaller than the Red Keep or any of the largest castles in the world, it was the greatest bank there was anywhere extending its services to princes, archons and kings. He remembered both his grandmother and Lord Hightower saying that its shadow stretched across the entire world especially if you owed them money, raising rivals to challenge the debtor and would often tear them down. The people that replaced them would in short order repay the debt for fear of being torn down themselves…money was power after all.

Turning away from the Iron Bank Harry looked down at the Arsenal, nestled near the Titan. The large citadel which contained many ships of the city's navy as well as the largest shipyard that Harry had ever seen, one capable of building a whole war galley in a day. Along the walls of the citadel were scorpions, trebuchets and spitfires to equip a whole navy with men constantly on patrol ready if an attack should ever come on the city. Harry thought briefly about visiting it and having a little look around with a disillusion charm but decided it was a bad idea, those charms only worked for so long and if it failed at the wrong moment, things might become very…awkward.

Instead he decided to return to the city and continue his exploration. After all he thought when he disappeared with a pop there was still much to see.

 **-x-**

Wandering past the taverns and brothels of the city Harry smiled, loving every moment of his new found freedom. There was so many places in the city to see that it could take him days to see them all. Already he had seen the House of Red Hands, the Palace of the Sealord and the Temple of the Moonsingers with its white marble walls and bright silver dome with milk glass windows that showed all the phases of the moon. He was just thinking on where to go next when he came upon another building one with a black and white door.

A strange chill came upon as he looked at it, the same strange purple glow coming off of it as the ring. There was something magical about that building Harry realised with surprise, after his two special rings and himself it was the only magical thing he had encountered in this world so far. The coldness of the aura was enough to make it unsettling and while his instincts told him to leave the building well alone his curiosity made him walk closer to the black and white doors.

Suddenly as if sensing his presence the doors opened and Harry took a step back, his hands going to _Orphanmaker_ in readiness for a fight only for a strange unarmed old man to emerge. While he appeared no threat Harry knew better where magic was concerned and stayed ready for an attack. The old man smiled as if amused by Harry before bowing.

"Greetings young traveller, welcome to the House of Black and White. Please come in." The Old man said beckoning him inside in what seemed like a warm and friendly voice, appearing the very image of a kindly old man but with the mention of the buildings name Harry's guard went up. He knew of the Faceless Men and what they did, stealing the faces of others and killing people for money. He was about to turn around and walk away when both his dragon ring and the stone of resurrection began to glow. He looked towards the building and with his curiosity winning out he walked up to the door and followed the old man inside but his hand remained close to his sword just in case this was some kind of trap.

Walking through the strangely bland corridors did not exactly make Harry feel any better as the feeling of cold persisted. They did not pass anyone which made Harry wonder if the Faceless Ones were as numerous as many assumed, given their ability to don the faces of other people they could never truly be counted but he would have expected to see more of them of than this.

After a couple of minutes they arrived in a large cave for lack of a better word. It went high into the darkness but along its walls were what really captured his attention. In small alcoves all along the cave were preserved faces, looking almost like masks but if you looked closely you could see that they were made of real skin.

Horror ran through Harry, he had known of their ability to wear the faces of other people to disguise themselves but to see those preserved faces made him sick to his stomach. So much so when the Faceless Man who had invited him in spoke he actually drew his sword with the intention of running the old man through.

"Our work is not pleasant. Death never is nor is it fair. The Many Faced God teaches us this, after all we are No-One." The Kindly Old Man had changed into a much younger looking face while he had been distracted by the faces with clearer skin and straight light brown hair with a strip of white in it. He smiled and only the sudden change stopped Harry from attacking, fully aware that this Faceless Man was no doubt fully ready for it.

Gritting his teeth Harry cast his mind back to recall his steps so he could effect a quick getaway before turning back to the Faceless Man and asked him with a glare.

"Why did you bring me here? To take my face and use it?"

"No. The Many Faced God knows you, all of your selves as his instruments across the worlds. When he has need of you he arms you, the rings you wear for example." The Faceless Man said and Harry shocked that the Faceless Man knew these things about him glanced down to the Stone of Resurrection and then the Valyrian Dragon ring. He frowned and turned back to the Faceless Man with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"I do not like being called an 'instrument' and why would he choose to use me? A second son, I am not even in line to inherit any real power." Harry said anger bubbling up inside him. He knew how much his counterpart in the other world had hated being 'the chosen one', losing his family in the process and many other people that he had cared for. He glared at the Faceless Man. "All I want is to travel, see the world. Power and destiny have no place in my life."

The Faceless Man did not frown or change his expression at all from the annoying mask of calm that he was wearing, he merely tilted his head and said.

"By all means continue to travel, the Many Faced God encourages it so that you can acquire the skills and resources that you will need in the future. But eventually you will return home and when war comes, you will need a castle and army of your own to fight it. The more power you obtain the better your chances in the struggle to come."

The mention of a war did sober Harry immediately, his grandmother had always told him that however bad or vicious the previous war might have been another was always around the corner often worst that the one that had preceded it. He had no idea where he was going to raise an army or find a castle of his own, a ruined one that he could rebuild perhaps. As if sensing his thoughts the Faceless Man said.

"Fate has a way of taking you where you need to be, keep your eyes and ears open and maybe the opportunities you need will reveal themselves. Think of it as a challenge for you to surmount."

Harry paused when the Faceless man said it that way, he loved a challenge a test of his wits and ability to solve problems. Then just as he was about to ask where he might go to start this quest the 'Many Faced God' wanted to send him on, he looked up to discover the Faceless Man was gone. Looking around Harry saw that he was now alone and was about to leave when a screech came from above him. Sharply looking up Harry was greeted by the sight of a large bird descending from the darkness above, it landed near the pool that Harry had missed when he was talking and turned its sharp green eyes to him.

Harry had never seen a bird look so intently at a human before, almost as if it were assessing him and he stared right back not looking away. It was then that he recognised the hawk in front of him, it was a Braavosi Blood Hawk. Named for its brilliant red and brown feathers they were said to have the sharpest eyes of any bird of prey in the world and could fly further and faster too. He had seen traders with such birds in Oldtown and wondered what it might be like to fly as they did, soaring through the air. Short of building a broom he would never really know that feeling unless he hatched a dragon.

As he stared into the hawk's eyes and the hawk stared right back, Harry felt his magic extend out to the Hawk and form a connection. He felt the hawk's instincts, its urge to be in the air and its confusion at the strange bond they now shared. Harry smiled and the hawk flew over and perched itself on his shoulder. Harry carefully stroked its plumage, the hawk cooed in response. It was a he Harry sensed and as he walked carefully back up the stairs he decided on a name for him.

"Orion. That will be your name, okay?" He asked the bird, the hawk nuzzled its head against his in agreement.

 **-x-**

It was getting dark when Harry returned to his tent, he was glad that the wards he had set up were working as planned, leaving his abode hidden to outsiders. Walking in through the flap entrance he was greeted by a far larger space than the outside lit by bluebell flames in glass jars, a comfortable sofa and a few small cabinets containing books he either liked or thought might prove useful with rugs covering the floor. Charms heated the interior to a comfortable temperature and bubblehead charms meant that foul smells did not leak in from the outside. Orion flew from his shoulder to perch on top of a bookcase and settle down to sleep. Harry smiled vowing to get a proper perch for his new companion in the morning. Putting his feet up on the sofa he looked around to see the tent that would serve as his home for the next few years.

There were five rooms, the first of course being the sitting area where Harry was resting. A bedroom with a comfortable bed and cabinets containing his clothes while in the bathroom that was adjacent there was a sink to wash clothes, a privy and a bath tub all enhanced with magic to create and vanish warm water and waste at will. The Kitchen nearby had food stored in stasis to keep it preserved for when he could not resupply and lastly the storeroom where magically enhanced chests were piled to contain all of his valuables and anything else he might collect along the way. His dragon egg that he had pulled from the Mander was preserved in stasis there as well until he found a way to hatch it.

Stripping off his clothes and putting them in the bin for washing later, he climbed into bed and got some sleep, intent on resuming his exploration of the city in the morning.

 **-x-**

The following day Harry enjoyed walking through the city and seeing all the sights that he had missed the previous day, but as darkness fell he began to feel slightly bored and so he visited the taverns of the city to seek some entertainment. Orion was quite content sleeping back at his tent on the wooden perch Harry had purchased for him after a big dinner of mice and rats. Harry had taken the precaution of purchasing some additional meat for Orion and placed it in stasis so his companion would always be fed.

Harry meanwhile was sitting at a table in a smoky tavern with eight other men all older than him by at least fifteen years who were already deep into their cups playing cards. The game was similar to poker and Harry smirking was enjoying every moment of it, as he had won nearly every hand and those he had lost were only to make a bigger pot for him to win in the next hand. Reading people was one of the most useful lessons his grandmother had taught him, the slight tensing of the shoulders when you were worried, a nervous twitch, confidence in their eyes when they had a good hand. She meant for him to use them in politics but in games like this they were a god's send. The ghost of Lann the Clever, possibly the greatest con artist in history and the founder of House Lannister had developed those skills further in lessons he had taken when summoning him.

Magic helped too by letting him feel their emotions when they made eye contact helpful to learn whether they were bluffing or not. The final advantage Harry had was that he unlike them did not drink while he was playing, so he at least could think clearly.

It was proving useful tonight as the small pouch of gold dragons he had started with was now far larger than any other pile on the table and there was more than that being bet. Some daggers and swords had been waged and now sat on his side of the table while the drunk men were so convinced that they could win back everything they had lost to this young upstart that they just kept going.

All to Harry's advantage.

Harry looked at his cards as he started to think about calling it a night, it was a good hand he thought the best a Royal Flush. Looking around he saw the rest of the men looking nervously at their own cards and a sweep of their surface feelings showed anxiety or just drunken confidence. Decided to end the game he upped his bet.

"Three hundred gold pieces and all the weapons here. Time to sort the men from the boys." He said pushing most of his winnings into the centre. Most of the other players just threw down their cards in frustration, not able to match his bet to stay in the game. The three that remained however took one look at their cards and he could see the sweat falling from their foreheads not a good sign boys Harry thought, sure that they would fold but their overconfidence won out and they all put the only items they had worth his bet forward.

"Six barrels full of dyes and all this." One merchant said putting a document of ownership and a small pile of coins in the pot. The old red faced sea captain then double checked his cards then he made his bet.

"My remaining coin." He said pushing a pile of coins into the pot before pulling a very nice crown from his pouch. "This crown too. Used to belong to a Westerosi queen till her son the beggar king sold it." He laughed at the last part but Harry looked at the delicate looking crown and widened as he saw the intricate craftsmanship that had gone into the small crown which was made of gold with tiny diamonds and sapphires. The mention of a Westerosi queen immediately made Harry suspect it might be a Targaryen crown, many had disappeared after the Sack of Kings Landing. So he looked intently into the sea captain's eyes and saw he had a pair of jacks.

Confident his hand was secure Harry turned to the last man who was sweating profusely and with a final sigh of frustration he threw his cards away and took what possessions he had left with his tattered pride.

Good man Harry thought, better to give up than lose everything.

Then he watched as the sea captain and the merchant put their cards down on the table both confident of victory. The merchant was shocked to see his cards beaten by the two a pair the captain had but the captain was shocked as Harry with a wide smirk on his face put his Royal Flush on the table. Cries of both anger and celebration ran through the building as men who had been betting on the game either won big by betting on him or lost by siding with the other players. So many men were drunk that fists were thrown and bottles smashed against heads in a flash, Harry quickly pushed his winnings into a magical pouch while everyone was distracted, elbowing the merchant who tried to grab some of it then kicking the sea captain in the balls when he too tried to steal of his money back. No one even noticed that Harry had swept all the money left on table into a small bag before he ran as fast as he could for the door.

He narrowly avoided a sword being swung near him and then rolled past two men wrestling to slip out of the door before the city's guards came to restore order. Good pickings Harry thought as he tied the pouch to his belt and walked a short distance to find a place where he could apparate back to his tent.

The night air was crisp and refreshing and the much quieter city was a balm after the smoky filled noisy tavern. He took a deep breath as he walked along the canal, feeling far better although he kept himself alert just in case some thug decided to try and rob him. Even in the most affluent city Harry had ever seen there was crime and it never hurt to be alert to such things.

However it seemed the criminals of the city had taken the night off or found things to do elsewhere as no one accosted Harry. Just as he was about to duck into the alley nearby when the calm and quiet night was disturbed by yelling and a sound of frantic splashing. Harry looked around for the source of the noise and it did not take him long to see it was coming from across the nearby bridge.

A group of thugs were holding two young men not much older than himself in the canal trying to drown them in the dirty water while an older man looked on. Without thinking Harry drew his sword and ran across the bridge towards the trouble.

"HEY!" Harry called out to the thugs to get the attention of the thugs, it worked as they looked up and without even thinking they drew their weapons and charged at him, leaving the two young men chance to get some much needed air. Harry did not stop running his mind already focused as he sidestepped to avoid a jab that would have impaled his stomach and slashed at the man's leg with _Orphanmaker_. The man cried out and dropped his sword before Harry thrust into the shoulder of another thug causing him to drop his own sword.

With two down and now limping away, Harry turned to the remaining thugs who looked far less confident given how easily he had dispatched two of them. Harry held his sword ready should any of them think to charge him. One was wielding a sword like his but from the nicks and scratches in the metal Harry could tell it was old and worn, it did not stop the wielder an old greasy haired sellsword by the look of him charging. Harry did not even have to think, side stepping the sellsword and kicking him in the back of the knee as he passed. The splash as he entered the canal was enough for Harry to turn at the other thugs who all took flight followed by the rich looking man who presumably had hired them, the injured men limbed away with what little pride that they had left leaving Harry alone with the two young men who nearly been drowned only moments ago. One the taller of the two was already running away while the other on all fours was still struggling to catch his breath, he was a soaked and his dark hair hung around his face preventing Harry from making out his face.

"Are you okay? Do you need a healer?" Harry asked wondering if he had been injured but the young man just got unsteadily to his feet and pushed his wet hair back to reveal a dazzling smile.

"Not at all, it takes far more than a little water to make me ill. Danolo Whitehelm, at your service." The young man said sticking out his hand for Harry to shake who raised an eyebrow wondering if he had a concussion before taking the offered hand. Danolo still smiling talked as though everything in the world was sunshine and roses. "Thank you for your assistance, please allow me the privilege of shelter tonight. My family has a manse nearby and we would be honoured to offer you food at our table. Come." Danolo said and beamed expectantly at Harry would was about to wave the incident off and part ways with the young man but considering the thugs might ambush him Harry gave a quiet sigh and said.

"I suppose I should ensure you reach home safely at least, just in case those thugs come back."

* * *

The expected ambush never came as Harry and his new 'friend' made their way through the quiet streets. Danolo was an avid talker, going on about his mother Orolantia, the former Silken Nightingale the most sought after courtesan or whore as some would call it in the city. Only the richest in Braavos could have afforded her services and her family was wealthy because of it, the way Danolo boasted reminded Harry a bit of Loras with his annoying pride but he was even more of a talker than Harry's brother any day of the week. It was grating on Harry's nerves and he was about to leave the irritating Braavosi to his fate when thankfully they arrived at the Whitehelm manse.

It was a large enough place Harry thought and looked suitably grand to project a sense of wealth but smaller than the larger homes in the city. Danolo knocked on the door and yelled out while still smirking from ear to ear.

"Open up! I'm home with a guest." Harry was already thinking of polite excuses he might use to escape Danolo's presence but the door opened with his knock. The smile was wiped from Danolo's face and Harry went for his sword. Slowly the two young men entered the manse with their guard up, ready for any potential ambush.

They crept forward, the only sound their own breathing until they reached what could be described as the main hall were they heard voices. Moving as quietly as they could Danolo and Harry went to the door and saw through a narrow gap that a lavishly dressed man was holding a younger boy that looked like Danolo by the throat while shouting at another boy, a woman that Harry presumed to be their mother and young girl dressed like a servant.

It was too much for Danolo who burst through the doors, leaving an annoyed Harry to follow him with sword in hand.

"Leave my family alone Tremolo!" Danolo yelled at the man holding what Harry presumed to be his younger brother by the throat. Everyone turned to look at them and Harry could now see more clearly, both of the other boys in the room were clearly related to Danolo, slightly shorter but they had the same hair, eyes, facial shape and build as he. The older women who Harry had to admit was still very striking despite being in her forties at least, clearly the boy's mother as they shared her eyes the same of light blue that bordered on grey.

The young maid and an older man with a well-trimmed grey beard stood in the corner, his robes were very well made, probably silks with golden embroidery. The young maid was a beautiful girl Harry thought if a bit young, once she was older she would surely be stunning.

But Harry's eyes focused on the older man in the centre of the room that Danolo called Tremolo, who just dropped the young boy when he turned to face them. He was a rich man, the elaborate silk clothes he wore with golden embellishments and gilded sword were proof of that, his iron grey hair was styled and eyes were more yellow than gold making Harry think immediately of a snake for some reason. Instinctively he tightened his hold on his sword and vowed not to turn his back on him.

Tremolo glared at Danolo who was either too foolish to back away or so angry he simply did not care.

"You owe me a considerable amount of money boy, if you will not pay it back then I must find restitution elsewhere." Tremolo said and his eyes wandered to the older woman who recoiled visibly away from him. Danolo turned a very impressive shade of red that would surely have had steam coming out of his ears if such a thing was possible and then he said something truly stupid.

"I declare a Trail of the Sealord! And I name Harry here as my champion!" He said quickly not realising what he had said until it was too late. Harry was confused as to what the 'Trial of the Sealord' was, but the look of horror on the faces of the Whitehelms and the young maid did not make Harry feel any better.

Tremolo however while taken aback for a second looked Harry over and dismissed him with a mere glimpse and smirked saying with great relish.

"Accepted, we shall do it at noon tomorrow. I trust Master Saldaaris will make the arrangements." He said looking at the other man in the room who nodded reluctantly and quickly left the room with Tremolo following him. There was silence for a minute as everyone took in what had just happened, broken only by the doors closing as the other two men left. The first to recover was the Whitehelm matriarch who walked over to her eldest son and slapped him on the face.

"YOU IDIOT!" She screamed at Danolo who recoiled from his mother's wrath. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? YOU HAVE DOOMED ALL OF US! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" She shouted at him. Danolo put his hand up and stepped away from his mother.

"I didn't think he would accept! I just thought it might make him think twice!" Danolo told her rather feebly. His mother and brother looked ready to tear him apart when Harry decided to speak.

"Far from me to interrupt Danolo from getting a scolding." Harry said putting is sword back in its sheath while glaring at Danolo, firmly wishing he had just let those thugs drown the twat now. "But could someone explain to me what the hell a 'Trial by the Sealord' is? Especially if I have apparently been named as a champion."

The Whitehelm matriarch gave one last glare at Danolo before turning to the young man that had accompanied him. She gave Harry a kind smile but Harry could see the cunning inside that had propelled her to become the most sought after courtesan in Braavos. She honestly reminded Harry of his grandmother in some ways, she was sharp and ruled her family with an iron fist. He had a feeling the two women would get on well together if they ever met.

"I apologize for my son getting you involved in our affairs young man, but now it seems we are all on the same sinking ship. I am Orolantia Whitehelm." She said introduced and Harry bowed slightly in greeting kissing her offered hand while she introduced the rest of her family. "These are my two younger sons Invichio and Tristifero." Orolantia said with fondness. The two other boys nodded in greeting while Invichio glared at his older brother. "And this is Serah, my protégée." She said gesturing to the young maid who curtsied to Harry and he smiled before bowing in return.

"Harry Tyrell." He said deciding that anyone could probably uncover his true identity if they wanted to so it made little sense to hide it. Besides, if it ever reached Highgarden he would be long gone before anyone from there could get to Braavos. Their eyes widened at his surname, knowing full well who his family were. But before they could comment on it Harry spoke again. "I am merely here as the first part of my travels, no official business I assure you but perhaps you might explain to me exactly what it is Danolo has volunteered me for?" Harry asked, the word champion implied a fight of some kind but what was this trial?

It was Invichio Whitehelm that answered. The younger boy looked grim as he explained.

"The Trial of the Sealord goes back to the days when Braavos was founded by escaping slaves. Back then the founders of Braavos had little and if someone had an issue with someone they would fight and winner would claim the spoils. As the city grew it fell out of favour and remained only used by the rich men in the city, they would choose a champion and the two fighters would battle to the death. The winning man would then take all the assets of the loser, it was eventually stopped by the Iron Bank due to the economic chaos it caused when men inherited assets they could not operate and the rampant cheating by those that would declare it but although its use was frowned upon it was never banned. This will be the first time it has been used in over a century." The boy explained and just as it dawned on Harry just what Danolo had signed him up for he glared at the idiot, ready to kill the twat right there and then.

"And you cannot run away either." Invichio added feeling a massive migraine coming on. "Once declared it cannot be revoked and if either we or you run away then the Iron Bank will hunt all of us down and kill us…slowly. It is part of how they discourage its use."

Harry could no longer keep his anger in check as it boiled up inside him, his fist hit Danolo and knocked him to floor. He stood over him, nearly shaking in rage.

"I should have let you drown in the canal you arse!" Harry said his voice hissing like the snakes his other self-had talked too. He counted to twenty and turned to Lady Orolantia. "Do we have any idea who I will be facing? I need to know just what I am up against." He was not stupid enough to try running, the long shadow of the Iron Bank would find him eventually and he could not allow the rest of the Whitehelms to suffer for the actions of their idiot son. His own compassion and code of honour would never permit it.

Lady Orolantia thought for a moment and then sighed as she told him.

"He recently acquired a former pit fighter from Astapor. He might have publically freed the man and made him a sellsword in his service but he is a slave in all but name. Conditioned to follow orders and will kill on command without any doubt or hesitation."

Harry honestly felt sick, he had could not believe that one simple act could have landed him in such a situation. His grandmother had warned him about getting involved in things that did not concern him as they would often come back to haunt him. But he like a fool had never heeded her advice, his alternate's friend…Hermione called it something Harry thought. What was it?

'A Saving People' thing he recalled. That was it.

Harry just put his hand to his face and sighed. Lady Orolantia put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed in reassurance before saying.

"Take a room here tonight, you deserve that much for what you are going to have to do tomorrow. Get some rest you will need it."

 **-x-**

His room was comfortable but Harry could not sleep. He lay in his bed wondering about what he was going to face tomorrow. He had never fought anyone in a fight to the death before, never fought in a battle and now he was going to fight a man in a duel to the death. He considered the possibly the Whitehelms might be lying but all through their talk he had sensed nothing but the truth from them. So here he was about to fight for people he barely knew or he could run and be hunted down like an animal. Not the best of options he thought with frustration.

Harry lay back on his bed and felt the worst kind of anticipation welling up inside him. He had never felt anything like it, a cold sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that would not be shifted. Sleep proved impossible as images of what could happen ran through his mind. Groaning he say up and pulled the Resurrection Stone from his finger and turned it over three times desperate for some advice that might help.

His teacher in swordsmanship, Ser Aemon Targaryen the legendary Dragon Knight appeared in the room. He smiled at first but then saw the expression on his young student's face.

"What is wrong young Harry? You look as though the world is ending." The old knight might have passed on but he had developed a soft spot for the young Tyrell. He was as determined as he had been and had a natural talent with the sword. Jousting was a different story as Harry had little interest in the sport but in the art of swordplay he was a kindred spirit.

"Through a series of rather convoluted events I have ended up as champion for a Braavosi family against their rival in a fight to the death. If I run the Iron Bank will have me hunted down and killed and I will be up against a trained pit fighter who is experienced at killing." Harry said to his ghostly mentor with fear starting appear in his voice.

Fear was something that he had never really dealt with before, his own arrogance although he would call it confidence made him laugh instead but now he was faced with the very real possibility that he might die and he had no idea of how to handle it. Images of him choking on his own blood or his damaged corpse being cried over by his sister and grandmother were rushing through his mind.

Ser Aemon smiled sadly at the boy, he had known this fear himself from his first battle in the Conquest of Dorne. The savagery of battle had shocked him at first but nothing compared with facing men that genuinely wanted to kill him and having to kill in turn. The blood and gore of killing men and the light that left their eyes. It was not something that you could teach someone about, you have to experience it for yourself.

"Death is natural part of life, everyone dies eventually but whether or not it will be you tomorrow is your own choice." Ser Aemon told him making Harry look up from his feet to meet the knight's gaze. "It is like the 'law of the jungle' I believe a man once said. Survival of the fittest or the smartest, would you rather give your life so this other champion can live?" Ser Aemon asked his gaze intense.

Harry looked back down at his feet, he knew what his answer was going to be and it sickened him.

"No."

"Then your decision is made, it may sicken you but it is kill or be killed. Either you kill him or he will kill you. For your family, for yourself and your friends do what you must to survive." Ser Aemon said before his ghost vanished, leaving Harry just as confused as before but at least he now if he had to fight he would fight to win.

* * *

Sun rose all to soon the following morning, a hearty breakfast at the Whitehelm table and a quick spar with their boys was all Harry had time for as he donned his leather armour and walked with his new friends to the square in front of the Iron Bank. Word it seemed had spread and many of the city's rich and poor had gathered to see the spectacle, it honestly made Harry sick. Killing as entertainment, fill people with that kind of bloodlust and this would become a regular event with the rich profiting off it while the rest cheered as men lay dying for their pleasure. Harry was glad such things had not caught on in Westeros but he would have to harden himself.

Nearing the centre of the square he saw Tremolo and his champion already waiting for him. The sight of the other champion did not make Harry feel any better, he was nearly two feet taller than him with muscles to match. His face was covered by a spiked helm and he wore little in the way of armour just basic leather but Harry's eyes were drawn to the large black steel battle-axe the man was holding in his hands and the great sword wore on his back. The Whitehelms were similarly alarmed at the size of him but said nothing, instead giving him encouraging smiles that were rather weak but still it was better than nothing.

"Good luck." Invichio Whitehelm said as he saw off the man that held the future of his family in his hands. He could only look nervously at the man Harry would be facing and glad that it would not be him.

"Luck." Harry said stiffly. "I need a miracle."

Harry feeling more nervous than he ever had in his entire life stepped forward into the centre of the makeshift fighting rink while everyone around them watched, eager for the duel to begin. Harry drew _Orphanmaker_ and its weight was comforting in his hands, he looked at the large warrior that was disturbingly completely silent except for his breathing which rattled inside the helm he wore and planned how he was going to fight him.

He could try and use his speed Harry thought as the warrior would pummel him if he tried to match him in strength. His magic he realised with anger would not really be that helpful as he could not dare use it with all of these witnesses. He knew some Braavosi water dance moves from his time at Hightower as it was always helpful to have some tricks up his sleeve, but he could not think any more on how he was going to fight as the warrior charged, swinging his battle-axe hard towards him in the hopes of cutting Harry in half.

Shocked at the sudden start Harry barely managed to dive out of the way as the axe actually split the stone paving where he had been only a couple of seconds before. Harry without thinking slashed back and caught the warrior on the arm as he tried to pull his axe free of the stone it had become embedded in. The warrior did not even cry out as blood leaked out of the shallow wound but it only served to enrage him as he finally pulled the axe free and attacked again.

Harry was forced to constantly keep moving as the warrior's axe swung sometimes only a hair's breadth from him. He had no time to think of attacking as he had to concentrate on evasion or he would be dead in a second. Just as he narrowly missed the axe severing his head from his shoulders the warrior kicked him right in the stomach, sending flying back gasping for breath as the air was knocked clean out of him. He rolled to his feet and recovered as quickly as he could only for the warrior to be on him again immediately.

Harry rolled away and slashed again with his sword, missing as the warrior proved to be as fast as he was strong and Harry was repaid for his effort by a punch that hit him on the shoulder. The pain nearly made him drop his sword but he managed to keep hold of it and attack again, catching the warrior in the right elbow but the warrior shrugged it off and kept attacking while a cheering crowd, a smirking Tremolo and the scared Whitehelms looked on.

 **-x-**

Unknown to Harry on the roof of the Iron Bank a man perched with his bow in hand trying to get a shot at Harry, ironically the fast and erratic pace of the fight was making it impossible for him to get an accurate shot. The archer had been hired by Tremolo to ensure the Westerosi died if at any time his champion looked at any time like he might lose, after all one did not become as wealthy as Tremolo without taking precautions.

The jangle of the coins in his pouch was like music to his ear but it was being masked by the growls of frustration at not being able to make the shot. He was one of the best marksmen in all of Braavos and was well paid for his services but nothing he tried seemed to help.

He was so focused on this that he did not see the large blood hawk until a moment the hawk swooped in to attack, its screech as the sharp talons caught him straight in the back of the head with surprising force, sending him a step forward and over the edge. He screamed in the brief moment before his body hit the steps of the Iron Bank, distracting everyone who saw it…including the champion of Tremolo.

 **-x-**

Harry now with several very prominent bruises, breathing heavily and had a few cuts seized his chance, thrusting _Orphanmaker_ straight into champion's gut. The warrior howled in pain as Harry pulled his sword out and he desperately tried to straight at Harry but now he had a massive hole in his stomach and blood was seeping out at an alarming rate. His body was slowing quickly as Harry ducked around him and stabbed his sword at the warrior's joints, forcing him to his knees as the axe fell from his hands.

Harry with one last great slash, cleaved the warrior's head from his shoulders. The severed head rolled away as Harry breathed heavily nearly falling to his knees as exhaustion took hold. Adrenaline had sustained him in the fight but now it was fading and all of his aches and wounds were starting to really hurt. If he learnt one thing from this Harry thought to himself it was to make sure that he had prepared in every single way possible in future, if he had more appropriate weapons before he came here like short swords or a daggers he might have found it far easier in such close quarters. If he had researched his opponent in more detail he could have evolved a better strategy he would not make such mistakes again.

He did not notice the crowd at first, they had been silent for a split second but now were cheering like mad people. Harry did not share their joy however as he looked down on the headless corpse of the warrior and the massive pool of blood. It honestly made him sick to his stomach, the man had been raised a slave never had any choice in this. Knowing no life other than one it chains but at least he might find solace in the next world Harry thought with some small comfort.

What really got to him however was the cheering of the crowd, he honestly wanted to slap them all and yell until his voice was hoarse but instead he allowed the Whitehelms to help him back to their manse where he might finally get some peace. Danolo made himself useful by carrying the helm, battle-axe, great sword and Tremolo's guilded small sword in a bundle for Harry to take later or if Harry did not want them Danolo would quite happily take for himself. Tremolo was dragged off by the men of the Iron Bank who had questions to ask him about the archer who had fallen from the roof.

 **-x-**

"Does it have to be that tight?" Harry groaned as the healer wrapped the wounds he had sustained in the fight. He was by no means a weakling but the sharp stab of pain as the bandages were first tightened and the dull persistent ache that followed was enough to make him wince. The healer just smirked at him.

"You were lucky young ser, only bruises and a slight concussion. It is lucky to leave such a duel with your life, many do not." The healer said before taking his leave. This left Harry alone with the Whitehelms who were now smiling themselves at the young man that had risked his life for them.

"You were amazing." Tristifero said with wide eyes gleaming, star struck and wishing he might be a great warrior too. Harry could not help but give the young boy a smile back.

"Our future is assured, all the money and assets that Tremolo owned are now ours. With the extra money I can buy up more taverns and brothels around Braavos to extend our information network and influence. We can invest in commercial ventures, thanks to you." Invichio said his own eyes bright with the possibilities now available to him and his family. But he did have the good grace to look gratefully at Harry as he pulled on a plain leather tunic.

"Will you stay in Braavos to operate your share? If so I would think you, Invichio and I have a lot to discuss." Orolantia said sipping her wine, her posture now far more relaxed than it had been for the past few days. Harry looked at her confused before she explained. "As the champion you get at least a portion of the assets gained in the trial. You didn't think these people risked their lives for nothing did you?" She smirked taking a small amount of enjoyment in his surprise, wondering if he might be a good business partner.

Harry was momentarily stunned, he had not imagined that he might profit from this stupid system he had been more concerned with whether or not he would make it through alive. But he thought with reluctance it would chain him to Braavos, he had only just started his travels and he did not want to be chained down yet regardless of what the Faceless Men had said. But still he thought an income of some sort would be useful.

He did not have time to think any more on this because Serah walked in and introduced a visitor.

"Tycho Nestoris of the Iron Bank." She said as the man from earlier arrived in the room with a box of papers under his arm.

"Lady Orolantia, good evening. I trust these will be to your satisfaction. Although I should probably inform you that the Iron Bank and the First Sea Lord have now made the Trial of the Sealord illegal so this will be the last time this sort of thing happens." He said bowing ever so slightly to the lady of the house before placing the box on the table. Orolantia smiled and gave him a cheeky wink that only made Tycho smirk and her sons gag. Harry nearly laughed but instead walked over to join Lady Orolantia as she looked at the papers held in the box. Both of their eyes widened at the scale of the merchant's assets, not the richest man in Braavos but certainly very wealthy all the same.

Harry pondered on what to do when he had an idea about what to do with his share; Orolantia and her son Invichio seemed sharp enough to make something of their new assets. He would admit to having taken a liking to them and on some level trusted them. So he told Orolantia what he planned to do.

"Lady Orolantia, I hope if it is not too much trouble that I might transfer control of my share of the assets to you and your sons in return for a portion of the profits to be paid into a vault at the Iron Bank. Say ten percent?" He suggested causing all of them even Orolantia to blink at him in surprise. It was a small fortune he was giving up here when he could well demand far more but Harry was not a greedy person by nature and this way he could make money without having to do a thing himself while continuing to travel. "I have every confident that you and your family will manage these affairs professionally and justify my trust. This will surely be a most profitable venture." He was now smirking as he saw the astonishment on their faces but Invichio was soon smiling and he rushed forward to shake a bemused Harry's hand.

"Do not worry, we will make good on your investment. This is the beginning of a great partnership." Harry shook his hand right back, Invichio knew full well that his family would become very wealthy and powerful for this and here was Harry giving him and his family majority control. What was there to complain about? It was a dream deal for them.

Harry meanwhile was thinking on what the Faceless man had said, about him needing an army for some future war. This was a start. He might only be a second son and a rogue second son at that with only a famous sword and magical tent to his name but now he had a source of income and a good contact in Braavos, his grandmother had always told him that although you should never trust anyone more than you had too unless you had something on them, friends in the right places were worth their weight in gold.

* * *

Later that night when Harry had retired to bed and was alone in the room the Whitehelms had graciously given him, he used his magic to heal some of his wounds. Tycho had promised to speed up the setting up of his deal with Whitehelms immediately helped in no small part by Orolantia's offer of dinner the following evening so as soon as that was done he would be leaving Braavos. If he needed to he could of course now portkey himself back here but he was starting to get itchy feet and wanted to continue his travels. He planned to catch the first ship that would take him, wherever it was going as long as it was not to Westeros.

A knock at the door made Harry quickly pull his jerkin back on and walk quickly over to open it, only for his breath to be taken away when he cast his eyes on the most beautiful blonde woman he had ever seen. Standing only just a bit shorter than him and looking slightly older, her golden hair was shining and luscious enough to put a Lannister to shame flowing free and unadorned down her back all the way to her pert little bottom. Her gown was sheer and left no illusion as to the pleasing curves that lay beneath. Harry's eyes moved up her body to her face passing her considerably sized breasts before coming to rest on her face. It was shaped almost like a heart with soft and delicate cheekbones, not to mention her tempting red coloured mouth but her eyes held his attention, a very distinctive aquamarine colour. Behind the girl Orolantia appeared and smiled.

"After all you have done for my house, I think you deserve a reward. Lanna here is my best girl, have fun tonight." She said with a lustful grin before closing the door leaving Harry and Lanna alone. The air suddenly became very tense as they regarded each other. Lanna despite her profession was blushing as she looked at Harry. He was perhaps the most handsome man she had ever been introduced to. His hair was a deep chestnut that was cut at the shoulders with strange green eyes that seemed hypnotise her, unable to look away. His body she could see was lean and fit with firm muscles, built for a deadly combination of speed and strength.

Harry frowned having never been with a whore before, he was not squeamish about it he knew full well about their existence and how many girls had no choice but to sell themselves to keep themselves from starving. Physically he might have never had a woman before but mentally he was more than prepared, the memories of his alternate had shown him all of their 'activities'. They had been quite inventive in the bedroom driven largely by Ginny's passion. That Harry had learnt what made his wife tick and how to please a woman.

But this particular Harry had never used them before and he was eager to test them out. He shrugged off his tunic and breeches while she shrugged off her dress, leaving them both as naked as the day they were born. The atmosphere was very tense as they looked at each other, not sure as to who should take the first move.

 _ **-Lemon Start-**_

Harry then moved forward and pulled her into a fierce kiss, she immediately responded by kissing back for all she was worth, her mouth opening so her tongue could meet his in a battle for dominance. His arms tightened around her thin waist while hers went around his shoulders, her fingers playing with his hair as they continued kissing breaking only for air before continuing.

His fingers began to move like ghosts over her skin exciting her already trembling body, his mouth leaving hers only to stop her disappointment by gently teasing her nipples. He guided her steps without thinking about it to the bed were she fell backwards onto the cool sheets. His mouth moved down to her belly bottom and gently teased it while his hands caressed her breasts and left her a quaking mess.

Lanna had never experienced anything like this before, her clients had always used her to serve their own pleasure and used her to that effect. This man however was attending to her pleasure first, her legs were already unable to support her weight and as his head disappeared between her legs she could only whimper as pleasure rippled through her body. The rising pleasure inside her washed over her like a wave as his tongue drove her to heights of pleasure she had not known, wherever he had learned this technique she could not have imagined but it sure felt good.

She barely had time to catch her breath before his mouth was on hers, she could taste herself on his lips but it did not bother her as his tongue plundered her mouth. She could feel his hardness at her cunt and anticipation filled her as she managed to look down and see his impressive size and it scared her for a moment that soon that cock would be inside her. He was gentle though, rather than just thrust into her like a callous youth he slowly pushed inside her until he was fully sheathed inside her. He stopped for a moment so she could adjust before he began to pull out and then push back in again.

 _ **-Lemon end-**_

 **-x-**

The sunlight crept into the room slowly as dawn came. Lanna lay with her head on Harry's chest and their legs intertwined. She was still fast asleep but Harry slowly opened his eyes and looked down at Lanna before smiling and carefully extracting himself from her, going to wash while she slept.

He had surprised himself at how long he had managed to keep going last night, it had been ages before he finally tired and let sleep claim him. Poor Lanna had barely kept up with him and they had indulged in many different positions before finally calling it a night.

He splashed cold water on his face as he looked out of the window at the harbour below. The sight of the ships gave him itchy feet, he would take the sea this time rather than magic and catch the first boat he could wherever it was heading, except if it was heading to Westeros of course he thought.

A big grin spread wider across his face as he contemplated where he might go next. Looking over he saw Lanna start to stir slightly and he walked over and placed a kiss on her forehead before tucking the sheets around her, letting her sleep.

 **-x-**

Once he was dressed he walked down the stairs only to find Orion looking imperiously at him while chewing on some bacon. The bird then carried on with his breakfast, Harry just shook his head as he walked over and gently stroked the bird's earning a pleasant cooing for his actions.

"Good morning Harry. Would you like some breakfast?" Young Serah said with a wide smile, gently stroking the bird's plumage which made him coo in pleasure while giving him a superior look. Harry just shook his head and thought 'cheeky bird' before answering the young girl.

"Yes please Serah. After the events of yesterday I could use a good hearty breakfast." He smiled at her and the young girl just gave him a knowing smirk, knowing full well what he had been up to last night. She went to get some food from the kitchen for him while he went over to the main table in the small hall of the Whitehelm manse. They would soon he thought probably be moving to the larger manse previous owned by Tremolo given their new found wealth. The Lady of the House and her three sons were all sitting around enjoying their first meal. The three boys looked up and smiled brightly while Orolantia gave him a grin.

"Good morning, I trust you had an enjoyable night." Orolantia said with assurance and a glint in her eye, Harry returned the grin and gave a slight bow before taking a seat.

"A very…stimulating night Lady Orolantia, I thank you for arranging it." He told her and she rolled her eyes wondering if he was all talk like so many young men his age or if there was a chance he might be able to go the distance. Judging by all the sounds she and the servants had heard last night he might she realised with some hesitation be up to the mark. Shaking her head slightly as she dismissed those thoughts for another time as she pushed a small key tied to a piece of parchment towards him.

"This is the deed to your share of our new enterprise and the key to your vault in the Iron Bank. It arrived just a few minutes ago." She said with a smile glad to have the increase of affluence, Harry raised an eyebrow while taking the scroll and key.

"It was settled that quickly? In less than a night?" He would have thought that such a thing would take at least a few days to sort out. Orolantia just gave a carefree shrug.

"Tycho is an exceptionally fast administrator. He knows all the tricks to get such things expedited as soon as possible." Orolantia said, he was also she admitted the one man that she actually had to work for. He knew her sort of games and played them just as well as she. He was a wealthy man in his own right and a marriage between them would she thought be helpful to her family. Not to mention she might actually have a worthwhile man at her side for the first time since her sons had been born.

Harry however was obvious to her plans as he carefully read the scroll and determined things had been done as he had suggested. Now that it was done Harry was free to leave Braavos and continue his travels, anticipation filled him as he wondered where the winds could take him.

"Thank you Lady Orolantia, your hospitality has been most welcome during my brief time here. I shall impress on you no further though, I shall be leaving the city soon and continuing my travels." Harry said hoping not to offend them. They all did look shocked but although Orolantia and Invichio nodded in acceptance, Danolo looked ready to object only for his youngest brother to beat him too it.

"Why Harry, have we offended you?" Tristifero asked with slight hurt in his eyes, he had grown to like the older boy and wanted to spend more time with him. Neither of his older brothers seemed to either want to or have the time with Danolo off having fun of his own and Invichio helping mother run their family's holdings.

Harry instantly felt bad, he knew full well what it was like to be ignored like Tristifero his alternate had been either scorned or ignored by the Dursleys his entire life. His own father and mother had doted on Loras while often forgetting him in this world, his grandmother had more than made up for it but the hurt was still there. With that in mind he spoke kindly to Tristifero.

"Not at all." Harry said coming over to put a comforting hand on Tristifero's shoulder. "Your family have been the best hosts possible…for the most part." Harry said casting his eyes over to Danolo who suddenly became very embarrassed much to the humour of the rest of his family. "But I have to move on before my oaf of a father comes looking for me, I had to leave due to a major political blunder he was about to make regarding me and a marriage to a very old widow that could alienate a key ally of ours. Perhaps your brothers and you can now have the fun you so deserve with Tremolo gone." He said looking to both the indicated boys who looked briefly ashamed for not spending as much time with their little brother as they could, promising to themselves to make that right. Serah then came in with some breakfast; bacon, eggs and slices of toasted bread with a cup of water to drink.

Sitting down to his food, Harry took his water and gave a brief toast, which was echoed by the Whitehelms.

"To the Future!" He said proudly.

"To the Future!" They chanted back before they all took a sip.

 **-x-**

Gathering his tent in his bag, now stowed with the weapons of the Champion he had slain and Tremolo's ornate sword not to mention all his winnings from the taverns the night he had become involved in Whitehelm affairs, Harry gave a finally wave goodbye to the Whitehelms and walked down to the city's many docks.

It was only just reaching mid-day when Harry arrived and saw the sheer number of ships docked here. It was colossal Harry thought with awe, there must have been nearly two hundred ships here and it would be just stupid to try and talk to every captain to find out where they were going and if he might book passage so instead Harry sought out the harbour master. A few silver coins and man was only too happy to tell him where he might find passage from the city.

"The _Sun Sea Dancer_ is heading to Lorath on the next tide and the captain is looking for passengers." The man told him with greedy eyes as he looked at the silver coins which Harry dropped into his sweaty hands. "That berth over there." He said pointing a short way down the docks.

"Thank you." Harry said with a slight sarcasm not that the man would have noticed and walked down towards the ship in question. She was a carrack, Harry realised from the three large masts that rose from the deck. Her figure head was that of a lady in some sort of dancing outfit although whatever colour it might have once had was long eroded by the sea. It had good sized cargo holds with a strong sturdy hull for long voyages. He could certainly do worst Harry thought as he looked along the dry dock. Men were readying the ship to sail so if he was going to use this ship then he would have to see the captain right away, looking at the deck he saw a man wearing the hard leather of a sailor but was of slightly better quality than the rest of the crew. Hoping this was the captain Harry walked up the gangplank catching the attention of all the men who looked surprised at the practically but well-dressed young man that had just invited himself on their ship.

"Would you be the captain?" Harry shouted to the man standing next to the helm. The older man with a tanned complexion and grey eyes looked down at Harry with suspicion before answering.

"Aye, that is me. What do you want?" He said his voice deep and rough. Harry was not afraid or intimidated. He had seen such men before in Oldtown when captains had come before Lord Hightower and knew they valued coin above near all else.

"I hope to book passage to Lorath since I was told that is where you are heading. Nothing more, nothing less." Harry said decided to be blunt, these men did not appreciate being talked down to or chatter. Straight forward and to the point.

The captain seemed to think about it for a moment, looking Harry up and down before giving a toothy smirk.

"Twenty gold pieces and you have to earn your meals with hard work. This is not a pleasure cruise, not like you are used to." The captain smiled expecting Harry realised for him to balk at this, so he merely nodded and pulled the required coin from the bottomless pouch on his belt. The captain stared in surprise as the coins were put into his hand.

A loud throaty laugh made both men turn around to see the source of the sound. It was a well-dressed man with the dark skin of the Summer Isles and long white hair tied in a knot behind his head. He wore an impressive looking green and orange feather cloak and a large number of gold rings on his fingers, on his back was an impressive looking bow and quiver full of arrows.

"Good to have some company on this boat. Other than sailors!" The man said with a wide grin as he walked over to Harry and offering his hand. Harry took it and felt the roughness of a lifelong archer and someone that worked for his living, this man was no pampered noble Harry thought especially given his strong grip as they shook hands. "Balaq, fellow passenger." He introduced himself, his accent smooth and relaxed Harry with its easy going nature.

"Harry." Harry said returning the gesture as the ship cast off and the sails lowered.

From the bow Harry and Balaq watched as the ship set to sea, Harry wondering just what his destination had in store for him.

* * *

 _ **Highgarden, the Reach…**_

The angry yells and sound of cups being thrown was a strangely relaxing symphony for Olenna as she heard her oaf of a son raging at Harry's flight from Oldtown. Margaery looked confused at all the angry noises that her father was making so she went to her grandmother who she knew would understand what was going on.

"What is going on grandmother? Why is father so angry?" The wrinkled face of Olenna smiled as she turned to her young granddaughter's and said.

"Because sweetling your other brother Harry has shown he has more brains in his head that both your father and eldest brother put together and has quite possibly saved our house from destruction." Olenna told Margaery who looked at her not really understanding so with a small sigh Olenna handed her the letter Harry had sent her, vowing to intensify her granddaughter's training in playing the political games so she would not need things like this explained to her.

 _Dearest Grandmother,_

 _First I hope you are well but although I had hoped to see you soon it was not to be when I heard of the nuptials planned for me by I assume father since you would not do something so foolish as to try and steal Ashford from House Rowan._

 _Surely you know as well as I that too many families still question our right to rule the Reach especially with the Targaryens now in exile, the actions of father during the rebellion such as claiming victory over Robert Baratheon when it was in fact Lord Randyll Tarly's achievement have not improved the situation and now he plans to insult the Rowans by stealing Ashford from under them once Lady Ashford dies by wedding her to me. This could well see the Rowans rise in revolt against us and if the Tarlys took advantage of the situation we might well join House Gardener in extinction as you no doubt realise so I thought it best to go travelling…for a few years at least. Robert Baratheon hates us and would not care if there was a revolt against us, so it is better to be safe than sorry._

 _Hopefully by the time I return the situation will have changed and the Rowans will have claimed Ashford and the matter will be closed. I will write when I can but it could be a few years before you see me again. Do not fear for me, I have prepared myself for this journey and will do my best to return when things are better._

 _Your loyal grandson,_

 _Harry Tyrell_

Margaery's eyes widened as she carefully read each line, word for word and realised just how truly dangerous what their father had tried to do was. Could it really have cost them Highgarden? Maybe ended their family for good? She shuddered at the thought and was suddenly very grateful that her brother had run away. It was better than the alternative.

Olenna meanwhile was thinking something else, she was grateful for Harry relieving her of the particular problem that Mace had created but he was she realised doing something that Tyrells rarely ever did…taking a wild gamble. On a whim and hoping for the best.

House Tyrell had always done its best to play it safe and would only really move on something when it was a sure thing. A example being when they sieged Storm's End until they knew for certain which side was going to win the war, not giving the Usurper any real reason to hate them enough to come after them even though they had sworn to the dragon. It meant that they might not gain as much as other houses but they were not as likely to lose much either.

The only person who might take risks in this family Olenna realised was herself and only when she was absolutely certain she was right. Harry seemed to have that too except he was far more impulsive than she had ever been. A different kind of Tyrell than had ever really been before, what would he do? She wondered as she snacked on some cheese. Would he be her house's greatest member or its destruction?

* * *

 _Hope you enjoyed the first two chapters, updates might be sporadic but if you have any suggestions on where Harry should go, just review them. I have a few destinations in mind but fresh ideas never hurt anyone._


	3. Chapter 3 Mazes of Lorath

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _First off, wow I had not expected such a positive reaction to this story so quickly. I can only hope to live up to the hype and do a good job. Thank you especially to all of the people that reviewed, some of your ideas for travel will be taken on board if I can. Chapters will vary in length depending on the needs of the story, some shorter and some longer._

 _Just one thing I will say though, Harry's journey is not completely random. There is a purpose to it that will become apparent later in the story._

 **Chapter 3 – Mazes of Lorath**

 _ **The Sun Sea Dancer, on route to Lorath…**_

The sky was clear as the large vessel cruised through the ocean on its way to the port of Lorath to deliver its cargo, the crew on deck went about their regular duties but some of them allowed their eyes to wander to the main deck where their two passengers were training.

Or more accurately the oldest of the pair was teaching the younger to throw knives. Balaq stood back as Harry took a knife from the pouch at his waist and threw it at the target Balaq had set up. The older man smiled as it bounced off of the edge of the target, making Harry groan in frustration and the crew that saw it laugh which only made Harry angrier than before.

"You put too much force into the last throw, accuracy is more important that power. Take it slow." Balaq said with their air of a teacher with much experience.

"But if I don't throw it hard enough it won't reach the target." Harry said with annoyance, why he had allowed Balaq to draw him into this he had no idea. It would have been useful he supposed in his fight against the champion but right now it was irritating as despite all his effort he could not get the knife into the target without it bouncing off. He was glad of the hard boots he was wearing as until he had gotten the grip right they could easily have fallen into his feet. Balaq as if to annoy him then took one of the small slim knives from his own belt and effortlessly threw it straight into the centre of the target, his throw driving it in deep. Harry's face tensed with annoyance but he managed to force it under control as Balaq said again how to do it properly.

"Relax your body, stand up straight and as your use your right hand put your right foot forward with your left slightly behind it." Balaq said and Harry despite wanting to abandon the whole thing as waste of time but his own determination to succeed forced him to continue. He took a few steadying breaths until he was actually relaxed, stood as straight as he could and put his feet exactly as Balaq said.

This time when he threw the knife it actually impaled itself into the outer edge of the target. The cheer of the crew prevented Harry from becoming too shocked at having managed to achieve it. Balaq came up and put a firm hand in his shoulder.

"See you can do it boy. Now do it again."

 **-x-**

Later on after the weather turned for the worst they abandoned their practise and returned to the bunk room they shared with the rest of the crew. The hammocks were swinging badly in the rough seas and both men had decided to sit on the floor rather than fall out of them. The storm was not as bad enough to sink the ship but it was harsh enough. Harry passed the time by cleaning _Orphanmaker_ and the rest of his equipment, he cast his eye over to Orion who was sleeping soundly on one of the beams completely unperturbed by the rocking of the ship. Balaq was sharpening his new arrow heads before he suddenly got up and handed a belt of throwing knives to Harry who looked up surprised.

"You can handle them now and it might come in useful someday. You learned faster than anyone else I ever trained." The White haired Summer Islander said with a smile. Harry gratefully took the gift and strapped it around his waist and placed his sword there too. He was about to thank Balaq for the gift when the sound of a bell came over the rough seas. Both men reacted immediately and rushed over to the door, hearing as they pulled it open.

"PIRATES! MEN TO ARMS!" The captain yelled from the helm as the men rushed around grabbing fishing spears, bows and swords from the locker. Looking over the side of the ship they saw a smaller ship approaching, it was a caravel a fast and nimble ship that was roughly half the size of a carrack usually with a crew of fifty at most. The less manoeuvrable _Sun Sea Dancer_ could not pull away as roped hooks were spat out by the pirates which grabbed a firm hold of the ship. Harry and Balaq drew their weapons of choice, the sword and bow respectively and steadied themselves as best they could as the ship pitched and rolled with the waves.

Once the ships were close enough pirates swung over the twenty feet gap or ran across the long planks that were dropped onto the deck, fixed in place by spikes that drive into the deck. The crew either ran for the back of the ship or unsteadily held their weapons to meet them face on. Most of the sailors knew the basics of defending themselves but were by no means experienced or driven which of course was what the pirates were counting on. Making loud screaming noises and battle cries to scare the sailors even more, however as two large muscular pirate thugs charged they were shot with an arrow each right between the eyes, shocking both the sailors and the pirates to see Balaq with his bow in hand, his usually friendly face grim as he started picking up to two pirates at a time with his experienced archery skills. When one pirate got too close he grabbed an arrow from his quiver and without hesitation stabbed it right through the eye and into the brain before pulling it out and firing it at another pirate, taking him down with a direct hit to the neck, choking him on his own blood.

Harry meanwhile ran across the deck with _Orphanmaker_ in hand and quickly impaled one pirate before quickly pulling his sword out and cutting the throat of another, sending a splatter of blood across the deck. Harry was looked over at the other pirates and without hesitation he charged the remaining twenty or so from the boarding force while Balaq picked off the rest with his arrows.

Harry cut his way through the poorly armed and armoured pirates, either impaling, stabbing or slashing them open with his sword. Their lack of proper training made it almost laughably easy for him to bat their clumsy attacks away before killing them. The sight of Balaq and Harry stopping the pirates in their tracks and cutting them down mercilessly finally shook the sailors out of their fear and they charged to finish off the pirates that remained on deck. Stripped of their greatest weapon, the pirates on deck were cut down in moments, looking towards the pirate ship with his adrenaline running high Harry called out to them.

"COUNTER BOARD, TAKE THEIR SHIP!" The men themselves followed his lead without even thinking about it and began to charge along the planks that had carried the pirates now screaming wildly while Harry led from the front. Harry was therefore the first to reach the pirate's ship, the crew were shocked at the sudden turn around and had to draw their weapons quickly as Harry wasted no time in taking the head off one unlucky pirate as the sailors charged past him to engage the pirates.

The deck was soon covered in blood as the two crews collided, the sailors were slowly gaining the upper hand though the pirates fought back just as fiercely no doubt spurred on by fear of being captured or killed. Harry's eyes caught on to a figure near the helm of the pirate ship, better dressed and armed than the rest of them so Harry assumed this to be the captain. He was certainly more skilled than his crew as the sword he wielded cut down the normal sailors with ease.

Harry studied him quickly as he rushed forward to deal with him, he was bald with a number of different rings on his hand as well as a mismatched outfit of rich clothes that like the rings had probably been taken from various ships he raided. It did not inhibit him though as he moved quickly to slash open someone's throat, the captain heard Harry's feet thumping along the deck and turned to face him just in time to block _Orphanmaker_. The clang of steel was loud to the ears of everyone that heard it but the two men did not hesitate as they parried each other on the swaying ship. Harry was not surprised by his skill, to become leader of a group of thugs like this usually meant either being the strongest, most skilled or the smartest with not a considerable amount of ruthlessness or a strange combination of all four. He was not physically the strongest of his men as his slimmer and less muscular form portrayed so it was skill and smarts then Harry thought, narrowly avoiding a silver dagger being thrust forward as the captain used it as an offhand weapon.

Frowning at the underhanded tactic Harry decided that turnaround was fair play, and without warning he quickly grabbed a throwing knife from his belt and sent it straight into the captain's unarmoured belly. The man froze as he felt the cold steel slice into his stomach, blood starting to pour slowly from the wound. He tried to lunge at Harry hoping to take him down too but his strength abandoned him, Harry easily caught his wrist and pulled the silver dagger from his hand while the sword fell from the other. Harry with the silver dagger and his sword still in hand looked down on the deck to see the sailors and Balaq had taken care of the rest of the pirates. Harry smiled as he looked down at the silver dagger in his hand, it was styled with a white tiger motif and had been beautifully crafted. He decided to keep it, taking its similarly styled sheath from the pirate captain's belt and strap it to his own. He who wins takes the spoils Harry thought with a vicious grin, he had no pity for men such as these; raping, killing and stealing across the world with no thought beyond their own greed. Like the Iron Born for example Harry thought darkly, give him any excuse and he would wipe those murderous rapists from the earth. Overly proud of their own worthless hides and whose only talents where thieving, raping and killing, the world would be better off without them in his mind.

Balaq below seemed to have found a rather vicious looking curved short sword that he strapped to his thigh, useful in case anyone got close enough to strike him. Many of the sailors began to loot the ship for any valuables that the pirates had to hand. Taking the various rings from the dead captain's fingers and the captain's hefty pouch of coins and slipping them into his pocket he walked down to meet Balaq who smiled at his new friend.

"Good to see you were listening earlier, a good fight yes?" He questioned his accent smooth and expression relaxed. Harry nodded before he heard screaming and whipped around to find the source, rushing forward without thinking. Rushing down the stairs into the decks below he was disgusted to see some of the sailors dragging half naked women from the hold of ship with the intent of what he intended to do them clear in their nasty little eyes, Harry already had his sword in hand and spoke clearly and without emotion but the way he gripped his sword communicated enough intent.

"Let those girls go and look for prizes elsewhere. NOW!" Harry commanded, the sailors looked ready to scoff given they were all older than he but the sword in his hand and the memory of how easily he had slaughtered the pirates made them stop, not to mention the way Balaq behind him had notched an arrow with a similar glare to Harry on his face. He narrowed his eyes daring them to try him but the will of all three collapsed when faced with his own and abandoned Harry and Balaq with the three bruised and injured women. They all looked different looks probably coming from ships the pirates had raided but all looked injured and were absolutely terrified. Harry and Balaq's faces softened and Balaq took a wineskin of water from his belt and handed slowly to the women.

"Take it." He said softly to the women who looked at him and Balaq suspiciously for a moment before thirst won out and they slowly took the wineskin and drank deeply from it. Harry and Balaq waited patiently for them to finish before Harry told them.

"Come. We will find you something to eat." Harry said smiling warmly at them and extending his hand. Suddenly the girls looked afraid again and he was worried he had gone too far but one of the women who looked vaguely Rhoynar in her appearance carefully took his hand and allowed him to pull her to feet. Her fellow ladies followed suit and with a smile Harry walked them to the galley where he would find only stale and rotting food on offer. It did not stop the sailors from digging in but Harry did not want to expose the women to food that would surely make them sick. So he moved to cover his quick transconfiguration of the rotting food into simple but fresh biscuits and fruit along with a jug of fresh water.

The women could not believe their eyes as Harry sat them down at one of the tables and placed the meal in front of them. Balaq himself was surprised and looked at Harry strangely for a moment before shrugging it off and helping himself to an apple. Harry watched as the girls enjoyed their food. It was surely the first proper meal they had received in a long time…if ever. The other men looked confused at where the nice food had come from but a warning look from Harry stopped any of them trying to take it. These women had been through enough Harry thought to himself, without any effort he could sense of the trauma they had suffered with a quick magical glance into their eyes. They had indeed been taken from ships the pirates had raided and used as bed slaves or rather unpaid whores by the pirates. He felt disgust at the images he had seen in their minds, not wanting to imagine something like that happening to his little sister Margaery or any of the Hightower girls however snobbish they had been.

The captain of the _Sun Sea Dancer_ came in while the girls ate and was looking a very happy man.

"We found an impressive stock of oil, wheat, whale bones, amber and hides. It should fetch us a good price in Lorath, only a day's sail away. The ship should give us a great bounty too so it will be a great payday for us all boys!" The men in the room cheered while Harry and Balaq smiled, glad that soon they would have their feet firmly on dry land again. The captain then turned to Harry and Balaq and noticed the girls sitting at their table.

"Where did these wenches come from?" He asked accusingly to everyone looking in particular at Harry and Balaq who just stared back. Harry spoke when he saw the girls getting nervous again.

"The girls were prisoners of the pirates, I was seeing to it they get a proper meal before taking them back to the ship. With Lorath only a day away surely their presence will not be such a problem. I and Balaq would be only too glad to ensure their welfare." Harry said as a statement rather than a question. He knew the lust of the sailors could prove a problem if the women stayed on the ship for any prolonged period of time, the captain certainly was concerned but he was trapped by his own words. It was only a day and the sight of the young swordsman and the experienced old archer should be more than enough to ensure that none of his men got any nasty ideas.

The captain nodded and left to go and see to the transfer of all the goods on board while Harry and Balaq turned back to face each other while the girls resumed eating.

"That was a kind gesture, making sure these young women are protected. Can't imagine many young men where you come from would do the same." Balaq said knowing from experience how most men in this world would act towards women after or even during a battle. He personally would never take a woman against her will, true in his homeland many women slept with whoever they fancied but he would never force himself on a woman who did not consent. On his travels he had seen it all too often and it sickened him, meeting a young man with similar opinions to such things as he was refreshing Balaq thought.

"It was the least I could do after everything they have gone through." Harry said dismissively not thinking it a gesture worthy of thanks or recognition. He had no desire to be a knight, the whole concept was spat on often enough by greedy and vile men like Ser Gregor Clegane but that did not mean he had to be a bastard to everyone. Especially those that needed his help.

Balaq smiled before he said in a quiet whisper so only Harry would hear.

"Kindness is not forgotten by those who experience little of it. These girls will remember what you have done for them for the rest of their lives. The day a man saved them from the pirates and fed them without demanding anything in return." His eyes turned to the girls who now finally started relaxing again. "It is one of the best things a man can do." Balaq explained to him which made Harry smile.

"That two men can do." He said intently and held up his glass of water, which Balaq clinked with his own.

* * *

 _ **Lorath…**_

The girls slept soundly that night with the aid of a gentle calming charm, possibly the first quiet night's sleep that they had in some time Harry thought grimly as he kept watch over them. He and Balaq took it in turns to watch them just in case any of the sailors got ideas. Thankfully the sea had now calmed and a steady wind pushed them towards their destination. Harry shivered as he came up on deck, not used the cooling temperature from being in the Shivering Sea. He was a child of summer and the cold up here was unknown to him but a warming charm kept him perfectly comfortable once applied and some warm cloaks had been found for the women.

The morning saw them coming into Lorath Bay, the island was far smaller than Braavos due to it being much further away from the major shipping lanes, small wonder that it was the smallest of the Free Cities and would probably remain so indefinitely. Harry was not as impressed as he had been with Braavos but still the sight of somewhere new that was just waiting to be explored made him eager for the ship to dock. Beside him his companion just smiled at his friend's youthful enthusiasm while the women looked worried as the city came closer. Out of the corner of his eye Harry noticed and his bright expression dimmed, they were worried about what would become of them once they landed and he & Balaq disappeared. Slavery was still present in Lorath and it was very likely as three women alone with no money or protectors they might end up in chains again. He pondered on how to help them when he saw a number of ships in the harbour had the Merman of House Manderly, one of the northern noble houses from Westeros. A plan formed in his mind, these girls had no home to go to even if they did their families might just sell them straight back into slavery since they were 'used' so he would send them somewhere where slavery did not exist with some money to get them started once they arrived.

It was not he realised the best thing to do but with limited options what else could he do? He still had the heavy pouch of coins that he had taken from the captain and the many rings he worn. It would be enough to keep them fed with a roof over their heads until they found employment. He could send them to Braavos but a quick look around the harbour showed no other Braavosi ships around so the North it was.

A short time later the ship pulled into the dock, lines were thrown over and tied to keep the ship steady. Planks were laid to allow men to depart, one of the first being the captain where he was met an official probably to sell his cargo. Harry with his tent and supplies in his pack walked down the plank and was grateful to be back on shore with steady ground under his feet. Balaq and the women followed, the women still looking worried but Harry gave them a reassuring smile and walked over to the official hoping he might tell him where the nearest Northern ship willing to take passengers was berthed.

Harry smirked slightly when he saw the Captain who was a native Braavosi speaker, struggling to articulate to the official who was speaking a variant of Valyrian. Harry and Balaq were both fluent in either language so in the end Harry decided to save the captain anymore trouble and step in.

"The official wishes to know what cargo you bare and for whom is it intended." Harry said in Braavosi to the Captain looked at him in surprise but was grateful too now he knew what the port official was saying. He handed the man a written manifest while Harry spoke on his behalf.

"The ship's cargo and intended buyer." Harry said switching to Lorathi Valyrian and the port official smiled and told him.

"Thank you please inform the captain that his client will be told of his arrival immediately. But if I may ask, do you speak many languages?" The port official asked him and Harry paused for a moment, slightly confused at the question but answered honestly.

"Many, I was educated by the maesters of Oldtown in preparation for my travels. Why do you ask?" Harry inquired, surely a port would have many such people so why would it matter if he could? The port official frowned before he answered.

"We had official translators but they succumbed to a fire one week ago and we have yet to find replacements. If you speak as many languages as you say then we would like to offer you a position here for the time being. It would be well paid and comes with a free dwelling." The port official said trying and failing not to look overtly eager but Harry could see he was a little desperate. It was not surprising though that they were having problems finding people who could speak other languages, most people could only speak the language of wherever they came from even nobles as it was not necessary to put in the effort to expand their ability, often employing their maesters or professional translators to do the work for them. But since he would be traveling alone, Harry had learnt all the languages he could at the Citadel meaning he would have no trouble talking to people and even eavesdropping on those that did not realise he could understand.

Harry did not want to be stuck here for any prolonged period of time but it would be nice to practice his language skills and plan his future travels more thoroughly and stock up on supplies. With that in mind, Harry nodded in agreement and replied.

"I would be able to accept the post but only for a month or so before I move on." Harry told him and the eyes of the port official brightened. Harry smiled and turned to the captain and told him everything was now sorted before turning back to the official and asking. "Are there any ships heading to Westeros today that are willing to take passengers? These young ladies are in need of passage." Harry asked.

The official pointing to a Northern ship called the _Wolf Wind_ berthed in the next dock, where the captain was only too happy to ensure the women's safe passage to White Harbour once he had heard their story. And as Harry handed the girls the pouch of money he had taken from the pirate captain along with half the rings they threw their arms around him and cried not in sadness but in gratitude and given an equally strong hug to Balaq as they saw them off.

Balaq turned to face him with a wide smile on his face and told Harry.

"You did a good thing today, sending those girls to a place where they can be free with money to get them started and since you will be here a while, I might as well tell you that my company has yet to get back to me so I will be here for some time until they do. The port authority was only to glad to have me join you as a translator. It seems we will be sharing a house." Balaq said and Harry was happy to hear it. He had grown attached to the Summer Islander in their brief time together and would welcome the opportunity to make a new friend.

 **-x-**

 _ **A month later…**_

Their shared dwelling was not a large house by any means as it came free with the job, just a barely furnished stone building near the port with two bedrooms, a kitchen/living area and a privy. But with a slight warming charm it was warm and dry enough and a quick spell to the repair the beds made it liveable. Harry could have used his tent but it was not worth it in case Balaq came in and discovered it. The Summer Islander Harry was sure had noticed some of his magic and was keeping a close watch. He did not seem fearful or disgusted though, in fact he was more curious from what Harry could sense. Either way Harry wanted to keep his magic to himself and not feed any more suspicions the man might have had.

Once they arrived in their small home for the next month or so, they settled in and established a routine. Harry was the cook, they both bought food but it was Harry that cooked as he enjoyed it, it was one of the few activities that he could enjoy and a useful skill for his travels when he was far from anywhere. Balaq would clean up and in the evenings as they took their meals they would talk for the evening, getting to know one another.

Today had been busy, a mass of new ships had arrived all at once and the two of them had been kept busy all day translating for the various captains and it had not been all plain sailing so to speak. Three pirate captains had tried to sell their looted cargo to the port authorities until Harry and Balaq had caught them out, some would have turned a blind eye but after the incident with the women held on the pirate ship they had encountered Harry and Balaq showed no mercy. Their corpses now swung in the cages outside the harbour as a warning to any other would be pirates that came here, but his capture of the pirates had netted him a portion of the stolen goods as a reward. Bolts of velvet in different colours and a slight bonus to his pay that was now sitting safely in his special tent had given him enough coin to continue his travels when he was ready to leave.

Orion had entertained himself by flying around the city, but his hawk was currently sitting on his perch looking intently at the fish being prepared. Harry laughed and placed some in the small bucket attached to the perch.

"Yes I made you some too." Orion gave a happy flapping of his wings before digging in with relish. Harry laughed and returned to his cooking.

Harry was seasoning the evening meal, fish with a side of stewed vegetables and bread. Simple but filling Harry thought with satisfaction taking enjoyment from making the meal himself. As a boy in Hightower or Highgarden he would have just eaten whatever the kitchens there made but it gave him a great deal of satisfaction to be able to cook for himself.

Balaq seemed happy about it too, he had eaten far worst on his travels and known worst company than him.

Speaking of the archer the door opened revealing him as he entered their shared dwelling, looking both relieved and tired at the same time. He smiled at Harry and told him the good news.

"The port authority has just managed to hire three new translators so we can hopefully can be on our way at last, my company has finally sent word for me to meet them on the mainland." Balaq said and now Harry was smiling too.

"Good then this meal should be our last before we leave this island. It has become somewhat dull." Harry said grateful that he could finally move on. Unless you counted the mazes of Lorath which had been turned into the city over the centuries there was little here to see or do. Now finally he might resume his travels.

Balaq put fresh kindling on the fire and stoked it to make it burn more fiercely before settling down at the small table by the fire while Harry brought over the food and sat opposite him. The warmth of the fire was nice as they tucked into their meal.

"So how did you get your bow?" Harry asked continuing their nightly tradition of telling stories from their lives over dinner. He was young and had fewer stories than Balaq and they were far less interesting but the archer listened to them anyway and did not mock them. On other nights they would talk about their hopes and dreams or their views on a particular subject. Tonight it was Balaq's turn to talk and Harry really wanted to know how he had gotten his Goldenheart bow. It was a spectacular weapon that was superior to any other bow Harry had ever seen, Balaq chuckled before he decided to tell his young friend the tale.

"When I was a young man in the Summer Isles, a slaver raid took our prince and my two sisters and carried them off in their ship. I followed in my own boat and infiltrated the Basilisk Isles where the slavers had gone to hide from us. I snuck into their camp and liberated all of their people being held and killed over a hundred slavers with my normal bow before we stole a ship and sailed back to our homes. The Prince was grateful, called me the greatest warrior he had ever met and gave me his personal bow as a gift." Balaq told him and then after a second of Harry staring at him he began to laugh loudly which Harry joined in after a second.

After Harry just shook his head not sure if Balaq was telling the truth or messing with him but he chuckled any way and went back to enjoying their meal.

 **-x-**

After a long night and a bottle of wine the two retired to bed before getting up with a slight hangover the following morning. Harry woke first and cleaned up after last night, he took one look around his temporary home as he put away any clothes or personal effects that he had left lying around. Checking that his preserved food store was fully stocked once more along with all the money and velvet he had acquired in Lorath he exited the tent and waved his hand using his magic to quickly pack the tent away into a single small roll that he placed into his pack and then left to see to breakfast. Porridge was simple and the ingredients were easy to come by so that would do for today Harry thought only for Balaq to already be sitting at their table looking rather serious.

"Morning Harry. I must confess there is something I should have told you earlier, perhaps we should talk over our meal." Balaq did not look nervous but he was very grim for whatever reason and Harry was glad of the sword at his waist and the dagger in his boot not to mention the throwing knives. His suspicions aroused he kept an eye firmly on Balaq as he prepared their breakfast. He did not like how grim Balaq looked and was wondering if a betrayal was coming.

When he had finished the steamy bowls of porridge he got a spoon each and walked over to the table, ready to use magic to defend himself if he had too. Balaq did look slightly guilty as he took his first spoonful and finally admitted his secret.

"You see Harry, you might recall that I work for a company." Harry nodded while his hand stayed close to his sword, Balaq did not see this through the table and continued talking. "That was no lie but what I omitted to mention was that it is the Golden Company that I work for, as the commander of their archers."

Compared to whatever he might have been expecting that admission was nothing and relieved Harry greatly. He had nothing against sellswords, he knew many might look down on the profession but knights these days were often no better or in fact any other drafted soldier. Balaq did looked relieved that Harry had not taken offense and pressed on.

"I have been summoned to re-join them and it would be my pleasure to introduce you to the company. You could fulfil your dream of travelling and get paid to do it at the same time, are you interested?" Balaq asked looking hopeful.

Harry went deep into thought, the Golden Company was the most expensive, numerous and well-equipped Sellsword company in the world. They never broke a contract once it was set and while he had no interest in fighting for coin it would be a good opportunity to perfect his skills as a soldier. Membership was not for life so he could leave at any time if he decided to and it would be a good contact for the future.

So Harry smiled and said.

"Yes I would be very interested."

* * *

 _Would really like to hear what you guys think, so please review!_

 _Chapter 4 will be uploaded in a week's time if everything goes okay._


	4. Chapter 4 The Golden Company

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _Sorry I meant to have this chapter up earlier but I injured my hand and had to wait for it to heal before I could finish._

 _Hope you enjoy it…_

 **Chapter 4 – The Golden Company and the City Of Forges**

 _ **Bitterweed Bay, Essos…**_

The day was bleak as the boat carrying Harry and Balaq landed on the cold beach of Bitterweed Bay. They clambered off the small boat pulling horses out the boat by their reins, Harry was quite warm with his charmed coat and Balaq had taken to wearing a few extra layers under his feathered cloak but the weather was not inviting. Almost certainly promising rain and high winds later Harry pulled his horse across the sands and once finally on firmer ground mounted his steed. Balaq did likewise and the pair rode out towards Qohor where they would meet the Golden Company. Orion flew overhead, glad to stretch his wings after another journey on a ship however short it might have been.

The temperature did noticeably get warmer as they moved further south but remained cool to say the least. Harry took in the land around him with interest but after a few days of travel it began to get dull, until at last on the fifth day they reached the camp of the Golden Company.

Harry's eyes widened as he took it all in, the camp was enormous with elephants, horses and men crowded into one space with hundreds of tents spread out in a surprisingly organised manner, however given the discipline instilled in the group by its founder Aegon Rivers also known as Bittersteel it should not be so surprising Harry thought. They were far more disciplined than other sellswords and it had made them the greatest company in the world. Harry was wondering how their camp would be compared to a regular army camp, he would soon find out he realised as he and Balaq rode in.

The sentries cheered when Balaq arrived who smiled back at the men, they looked at Harry with curiosity but no hostility. Balaq Harry realised must be highly respected for the sentries to not even stop them to question who Harry was. It would ease his entry into the company Harry realised but what would the other commanders have to say about it?

They rode onwards the sellswords cheering as Balaq rode past, especially the archers who waved their bows in greeting. Balaq waved his own in return and smiled wider, pulling up his horse at a makeshift stable near a golden coloured tent. Harry followed suit and then just as he handed his steed over to the stable hand he was startled by the sight of the gold covered skulls that surrounded the golden tent. He had heard the Golden Company kept the skulls of their previous leaders or Captain-Generals as they called them but he had just thought it a rather grisly rumour. But it appeared he thought with mild surprise and disgust that not only did they keep them but they covered them in gold and stuck on pikes for display. It made him wonder how that particular tradition could possibly have started.

He quickly forget that thought and walked just behind Balaq as he made his way past the skulls, paying them no mind until they reached the open tent and entered. There were Harry noticed seven men in the tent already who turned to look at them, smiling when they saw Balaq although when they saw Harry it was with slight curiosity.

"Captain General. My friends." Balaq said with a loud and joyful tone while he gave some of them hugs which they accepted. Comrades in arms Harry realised not just co-workers these men had risked life and limb together and become friends because of it. Harry put that down to Balaq's personality, the man had an ability to make friends easily. Balaq then seemed to remember Harry was there and introduced him.

"This is young Harry Tyrell, I recruited him in Lorath to our company after I witnessed his skill with a blade. Harry this is Captain-General Strickland, our leader. Our spymaster Lysono Maar and our paymaster Gorys Edoryen." He indicated the men in question who nodded in greeting which Harry returned. "Tristan Rivers the leader of our horse, Marq Mandrake the company of our elephants and Laswell Peake the commander of our infantry. Oh and not forgetting Watkyn the cupbearer and squire to Strickland."

Harry bowed slightly in greeting to all of them and they accepted him almost immediately as a new recruit probably Harry realised due to their trust in Balaq. But one man he realised was not so accepting, the Captain-General Strickland. He was openly glaring at Harry with hatred in his eyes and turning up his nose at him. Harry was confused what could he possibly have done that would offend the Captain-General of the Golden Company when he had only been in Essos a short time. Then when he saw that the man wore the sigil of a dead Reach house Harry understood.

House Strickland had been a supporter of Daemon Blackfyre during the first Blackfyre Rebellion until his defeat at the Battle of the Redgrass Field, they had fled across the Narrow Sea and their surviving members had served with the Golden Company ever since. They had been Reach nobility prior to their exile and it had been his family that had sent them running, taking everything they owned. It seems Harry thought with annoyance that even after nearly a century they still held a grudge. He supposed it was only to be expected but it was sure to be annoying Harry thought talking a moment to study Strickland more closely.

He was very unlike the fit and dangerous looking unit commanders that surrounded him, even the company spymaster and paymaster looked stronger and tougher than him Harry thought although he could be mistaken. First impressions could be misleading although somehow Harry felt he was more a talker than a fighter.

He had a prominent belly with a large round head, mild grey eyes and thinning grey hair styled to cover a bald spot. He wore a lot of wealth on his person and the tent seemed to contain yet more treasures surely gathered in the course of different campaigns, Harry wondered briefly if they had been Strickland's alone or if some had belonged to the previous Captain-Generals. He dismissed it as not important and decided to keep his distance from Strickland for now but would keep his guard up, a passionate fool was still a fool just more dangerous than a normal one.

He signed his name in their book with red ink that was supposed to represent blood before Balaq slapped him on the back and said with a jolly smile.

"Welcome to the Golden Company!"

 **-x-**

 _ **A week later…**_

Harry sweated as he blocked blows from the training sergeants before jabbing his blunted spear into his opponent, ending their short but intense sparring session. The sergeant looked angry for a moment before swallowing his pride and walking off to check other new recruits who did not have the benefit of prior training like he had. Harry went and put the spear and shield away on the rack, glad to be rid of them. He was good enough with the shield but the spear was far too cumbersome for him, he much preferred the sword although it had been helpful to spar more frequently and with different weapons to improve his skills Harry admitted to himself as he walked back to his tent. It had been useful being here. As he observed the officers of the Golden Company command their men, he had learnt a lot about motivates men and maintaining discipline from them. His education at Hightower had been very formal and often took getting people to follow you in battle for granted but Harry was starting to see what he would need to do to lead an army if and when the time came.

Entering his tent he was glad to see the security runes and wards were doing their job of keeping people out. He had added a few during his first day here when some men had tried to steal his sword and other valuables and put some rather nasty traps in place just in case anyone did try and enter his tent without permission. They would regret it Harry thought with a slightly vicious grin.

Orion fluttered his wings at the sight of his human which made Harry's grin turn into a genuine smile as he fed the hawk. He stroked his plumage which the hawk enjoyed immensely. The company was currently marching to a point between Qohor and Norvos, apparently due to a contract recently signed with Qohor although Harry was not let in on the details not surprising he thought given he was just a grunt at the moment.

The sound of the warning horn stopped him from thinking about his current position in the company as he reached for his sword and rushed outside. The men around him were scrambling around to grab their armour and weapons as the sound of horse hooves and battle cries filled the air. Harry with many of the other men looked to see thousands of Dothraki screamers baring down on them on horseback brandishing their arakhs, whips and curved bows in the air as they rode their horses into battle. The heads of the Gold Company sentries mounted on pikes at the front, probably to intimidate the sellswords, Harry snarled wondering how many great cities had been destroyed and people enslaved by these raiders he picked up a light shield from the ground where one man must have dropped it and without thinking he rushed forward to confront the Dothraki. The sellswords who had been fleeing or falling back to establish battle lines looked on thinking Harry must be mad but as two Dothraki charged straight towards him Harry threw two of his throwing knives into the necks of the riders sending them falling from their horses, choking on their own blood as they hit the ground. Harry wasted no time staying focused on the struggle around him, glad of the extra practice of the last few days.

Looking he saw more Dothraki had noticed the fall of their comrades and charged towards him, he was able to kill another before having to duck and roll to avoid arakhs trying to take his head off. He drew his sword as the Dothraki dismounted and now five of them faced him, Harry did not hesitate to go on the attack cutting two of them down quickly by slashing their throats open and taking the arm of another before stabbing him through the stomach.

Turning to the remaining Dothraki they all looked shocked at how easily Harry had dispatched some of their number. They still attacked though, swinging their curved swords at him with little skill relying on brute strength to overcome him but Harry sidestepped or parried their attacks until he was in a position to go on the offensive. He thrust his sword straight into the stomach of one overly energetic Dothraki before pulling his tiger dagger out of its sheath and stabbing deep into the neck of another. He pulled the dagger out and then turned to face the remaining rider with his dagger and his sword still dripping blood. The last rider was stoic though despite the death of his fellows and attacked with a little more grace and skill than the others, Harry returned the dagger quickly to his belt so he could grasp his sword with both hands to fight better against a single opponent.

He parried the Dothraki blow for blow without too much difficult, Harry guessed the Dothraki relied more on attacking on mass then individual skilled soldiers. The one he was facing might have been more experienced than the rest of the riders but against the trained Harry he stood no chance. Harry used a hard blow to knock his arakh away before stabbing his sword straight through his mouth. He pulled the sword out and the rider crumpled to the ground dead.

Just as Harry was about to take a breath he heard an enraged cry of anger combined with grief. Turning he saw the largest Dothraki of them all staring at him with complete and total hatred. Judging by how much authority he had amongst the riders as he shouted at them to leave Harry to him this Harry realised must be the Khal and if he had to guess, he must have either slain one of his bloodriders or a son or brother.

Regardless he took as quick a breath as he could while the Khal ran straight at him wielding two arakhs made of steel rather than bronze like the rest. Harry would have thrown some knives at him but the man moved with surprising speed and was on Harry before he could reach for his belt. Harry drew on his reserves of energy and parried each of the fast paced attacks the Khal sent his way, the strength and speed of the khal was impressive but Harry noticed that no-one was looking at them so he decided to risk using his magic. He decided against anything elaborate and instead he cast the lighting charm, right in the Khal's face. The man howled his eyes were nearly burnt out by the bright light and he stumbled back, his hands automatically going to shield his eyes from more light but they never got the chance to recover as Harry swung his sword with all his remaining strength and took the Khal's head clean off.

The head rolled away while the body fell to the ground, Harry breathing heavily looked to see several Dothraki running towards the scene where they realised their leader had been slain. They froze not sure what to do before deciding that since the Khal was dead it was pointless to stay, especially since the Golden Company had rallied and was now forcing them back with a shield wall formation and their own cavalry. They leapt back on their horses and rode away as fast as they could, the rest of the Dothraki followed suit and fled.

Harry took a steadying breath and wiped his sword and then his dagger clean of blood with the cotton breeches of one of the Dothraki before returning it to its sheath. He looked down at the corpses of the Dothraki he killed and wondered what on earth had gotten them to attack the Golden Company? They were too few in number to take on a well-armed and organised group of sellswords so what had possessed them to even try it?

He was still standing there when Balaq found him moments later. The master archer rushed over with some of his men and Balaq gently shook his shoulder and asked Harry looking concerned that the young man might be injured.

"Are you okay?" Harry just nodded.

Then Balaq noticed the dead bloodriders and Khal at Harry's feet, he was shocked to see it but with no one else around he realised Harry had killed them. He clapped the young man on the back and laughed.

"Well done boy! I knew my faith in you was not misplaced." Balaq beamed which actually made Harry smile back slightly. The other archers came up to him and patted him on the back, he had earnt their respect. More men started coming over to see for themselves while a very jealous and angry man looked on, wondering how he might deal with the annoying thorn in his side.

 **-x-**

A few days later after the remaining Dothraki had been hunted down and slaughtered in retaliation for their attack, the camp was far more accepting of Harry. He had taken down the Khal of a reasonably large khalasar and some of his bloodriders without help and more importantly he had not fled when they first arrived as some of the other less experienced sellswords had. Balaq had rewarded him for his slaying of the Khal by letting Harry claim the Khal's possessions as trophies. This included the two steel arakhs he had wielded, the many rings he wore around his neck that had no doubt been taken from the Khal's raids, a belt of golden medallions and the Khal's horse which had been abandoned by the Dothraki when they fled. The powerful stallion had been ill tempered at first but Harry had bonded with the horse just as he had done with Orion and now although the horse was still bad tempered with everyone else, with Harry it was as gentle as a lamb. He had decided to name the stallion Storm given its volatile temper, not the most imaginative of names perhaps but Harry thought it suited his new steed.

He was checking on Storm when he saw Strickland walking past giving him a glare that Harry returned. While most of the men in the camp where now far more welcoming given that he had proved himself, Strickland and those closest to the man continued to look at him with if not distain then outright hatred and Harry was quickly growing sick of it. He had learned patience from his time at Hightower due to most of the ruling house looking down at him, but Strickland's unreasonable holding on to the past was starting to grate. He fed Storm at apple and gently stroked his horse's head which made the horse gently rub its head into his hand clearly enjoying it which brought a smile back to Harry's face as he tried to forget about the hatred of his overall boss and just enjoy the day. Orion sat on his shoudler eager for Harry to pay attention to him too so while Harry continued to pet Storm with one hand, he gently stroked Orion's plumage with the other.

"Harry. You are wanted in the Captain-General's tent." A voice shouted to him, turning to look he saw the Company's spymaster Lysono Maar nod and with a sigh Harry did as he was told. The Captain-General wanting to see him meant nothing good, he was sure of that but he had given the man no true reason to complain so beyond the bad blood between their houses he had not truly done anything more than glare so far. He left his disappointed horse and hawk to enjoy a snack each, wondering what reason he would be given for the unexpected summons.

Harry walked to the tent in question, now used to the golden skulls that were staked around it and walked straight in, seeing Strickland standing there with a smile on his face, however this was not a pleasant smile more like when you had prepared a particularly nasty prank on someone and could not wait to see it sprung. Harry instantly became suspicious and was glad of the various weapons about his person and the thrum of magic that went through him. If he had to defend himself he would be ready Harry thought, his eyes carefully looking for any sign of ambush or poison but none appeared which only increased his suspicion.

"Young Harry." Strickland said jovially as if he were greeting his best friend, Harry's eyes narrowed. "I have an assignment for you on behalf of Qohor." Strickland told him and Harry suspecting a trap responded by merely nodding and playing along so as to not show his hand.

"I would take a mission on behalf of the Company. What is it Qohor needs?" Harry said calmly. Strickland nodded and told him.

"Qohor believes that Norvos is preparing to mount war on them. They want to find any documents to support this assertion but their own spies in Norvos have gone silent. So they have asked us to send one of our men into Norvos and steal their plans. And I have chosen you for that job."

Harry might have quickly scanned his surface thoughts to confirm his hunch but he could have guessed easily that it was a trap. The mission itself was genuine but Strickland had decided to inform the city guard of his presence before his arrival to ensure his capture and death. Harry had to work very hard to contain his fury and keep a straight face. It took all of the discipline instilled in him by both his grandmother and Lord Hightower but he managed it and listened to Strickland outlining how he was to gain entry to the city and who he was supposed to contact. Harry nodded as Strickland spoke but was formulating his own plans, he would complete the mission but in his own way and when he was done he would he promised himself get back at Strickland. He bowed slightly to show respect that he did not have for the man he was planning to humiliate at the very least…if not kill.

* * *

 _ **Norvos…**_

The gates of Norvos were as tall and imposing as any castle Harry had ever seen and through which traders and other travellers moved through to enter the city just as Harry was supposed to do he thought bitterly. From there he would be followed by the authorities Strickland had tipped off and eventually caught once he tried to gain entry to the manse he had been told to go too.

However Harry thought with a smirk, there were two advantages that he held over normal men. The first was his magic, the second was Orion.

The hawk soared over the walls looking down at the city below while Harry sat on Storm outside the walls and concentrated his magic so he could see through the hawk's eyes. The view of the eagle was magnificent and Harry became a little jealous of his feathered companion as he felt the sensation of the wind rushing over and under Orion's wings but it did allow him to see the areas of the city beyond the walls. Now he had seen them and found places he could apparate into without being seen. He tied Orion to a tree and set up his camp site, setting the wards to keep people away before concentrating on one particular alley and vanishing from view.

Reappearing only a second later in the alley, Harry shrugged on his cloak and hid his face with a cloak as he crept forward into the city. He had chosen the lower city to make his entry as it was easier to find places to apparate into and he made his way through the streets towards the Sinner's Steps the massive staircase that linked the Lower city where the poorer people lived and the High City where the rich lived, the same patterns of wealth deciding where you lived were a constant everywhere you went Harry thought with resignation not bothering to worry about it further since today he had other fish to fry. Casting a disillusion charm on himself he made his way up the large staircase wondering if the rumours of bears dancing on them were true as they did not seem wide enough for that at least to his eyes but when after being slightly winded by claiming so many steps he slipped past the guards with the aid of the charm and entered the High City and walked towards the manse belonging to his target. The air was certainly cleaner here he thought given the lower city had no proper drainage or waste disposal, if he ever had a settlement under his control he vowed to make sure that the air was as clean as possible for everyone not just the rich for the health of the people if nothing else.

He ignored the manse Strickland had directed him too as he knew it was a trap and could see with careful observation the guards who had been tipped off by Strickland. Harry knew however where the real documents were after a small look into Strickland's thoughts, an adjacent manse belonging to one of the magisters that ruled the city. He smiled as he walked past the guards that would have barred his passage and entered the large and well decorated manse. The servants were few and far between so he explored at his leisure, looking for the solar of the magister where the documents he wanted were sure to be. Moving along the corridors and rooms he was astonished to see all the elaborate tapestries that hung around the corridors and rooms, they were so vibrant and detailed he had never seen such work before. They put every other tapestry he had seen to shame he thought wondering about how much effort must have gone into making each one before getting back to the task at hand.

Eventually after a few minutes of searching he found the room in question but groaned in frustration when he saw a large vault. Looking around he realised that all the documents he had been looking were probably locked inside. He wondered what he was going to do before he remembered the spell his opposite had seen Hermione Granger use to unlock doors. He had never used it before but he thought holding his dragon ring out at the vault it was worth a go. He concentrated his entire focus on the vault in front of him and silently cast the opening charm that had seen in the memories of his alternate and hoped it might be able to open the more complex vault mechanism.

He heard the vault mechanism start to unlock but the moment he relaxed it began to lock itself again, he doubled his efforts concentrating all of his efforts on making the vault open properly, sweat began to run down his forehead slightly as the heavy steel lock fought against opening without the key but he kept his focus and eventually the heavy door swung slowly open. Taking a deep breath Harry relaxed but was puzzled at why opening the vault had been so difficult. Perhaps he needed to practice his magic more, like a muscle that wasted away when he ignored it.

Putting that issue aside for the moment Harry walked into the vault and found the documents he was sent for easily but what did surprise him was how little else there was in the vault, little in the way of gold or valuables, just ledgers and documents like the ones he had been sent to retrieve. Picking up the nearest he looked through the financial dealings of the magister and was surprised to see the man was in considerable debt, the sort that can get you killed if you do not pay up quickly. Looking at all the extravagant and lavish furnishings around the house and the debts before him, he could only come to one conclusion.

All the tapestries and air of apparent wealth was merely a façade to deceive his peers and protect his image, Harry had seen lords who put on shows of wealth to impress others but he had never seen one risk his life for something like this until now. He shook his head at the idiocy of it all and was about to leave when he saw a list of highborn children that the magister had been planning to kidnap in order to leverage the money to pay his debt and then another set of notes describing how much he would get for selling them into slavery if their parents couldn't or wouldn't pay.

The mention of those two words 'slavery' and 'children' instantly made Harry's eyes turn cold with fury. Violence against children was one of the few things he could not tolerate…ever. He knew it happened in the world but he would never permit it where he could interfere. Naïve of him, maybe but it was how he felt. So he decided rather impulsively to end the magister's image of wealth and status now and let his enemies see he could not pay them.

Leaving the vault he opened his bottomless pouch and walked all over the manse calling upon his magic to summon the tapestries off the walls and into his pouch. Any servant that he encountered he simply stunned and a quick memory charm to wipe their memory before he sent them on their way.

When he was finally done Harry smirked, pulling his hood up to hide his face and cast one last spell as he exited the manse, a quick and simple fire spell.

"Incendio." He walked away as the wood and carpets caught fire and it quickly began to spread, he walked unnoticed as the people rushed towards away or towards the fire, guards that were supposed to catch him rushed past him. He walked into a quiet and deserted street and with a small pop disappeared back to his camp outside the city.

 **-x-**

When he was finally finished storing away his stolen tapestries Harry took the opportunity to sit down and rest. He looked through some of the documents he had stolen and a quick review told him the Norvosi plot to conquer Qohor was being supported by some lower level nobility within the city itself. The rulers of Qohor would be very pleased with this information Harry thought as he settled down to eat his simple meal of preserved fruit and bread, smiling at the simplicity of it. There was no need for anything fancier and it made his stores last longer, he tucked in while wondering what he was going to do about Strickland his thoughts turning decidedly darker his smile fading.

The man had tried to have him killed and would no doubt try again Harry reasoned, he was an emotional moron as his grandmother might have put it and would not see reason if it came up and bit him on the arse. He would continue to obsess with the 'slight' to his family that occurred long before either of them were born as if killing him would undo their exile and give them back all they had once possessed. Grandmother Olenna had shown him there was only one way to deal with a man like that, his eyes looking unconsciously towards his sword and other weapons on the nearby table just within reach in case they were needed and Harry putting his now empty plate away wondering what he might do. He had never planned someone's assassination before, how might he arrange Strickland's demise Harry thought with dispassionately if the man could try and arrange his death then it was only right for him to return the favour.

He put his clothes in the hamper, he would wash them in the morning before slipping into his bed and going to sleep, knowing he had a long ride and a killing to arrange tomorrow.

 **-x-**

The following morning was an early one for Harry as he washed his clothes and dishes before packing up his tent and began the long ride back to camp, he was still wondering about how best to get his revenge on Strickland when after a few hours ride he saw a small cart which was surrounded by what looked like bandits. Even from here he could hear the vicious looking thugs laughing as they terrified the two people on the cart and Harry sighed in annoyance cursing his 'saving people thing' as he turned Storm to ride towards the scene.

 **-x-**

Daenerys Targaryen had never been more scared in her entire life, after her brother Viserys had insulted the priests of the Black Goat they had been forced to flee Qohor and were now on their way to Norvos to seek shelter there and then Pentos to beg favour of the city's merchants if they had no luck.

Or at least they would have been if her brother had been patient enough to take the safer routes as they were advised too, now Viserys was being beaten black and blue by the bandits who were holding her roughly in their calloused hands. One grabbed and squeezed her still growing breast so hard that it hurt and she begged.

"Please let us go! We have no gold for you! No one would pay a ransom. We are worthless to you!" Daenerys pleaded hoping that if the bandits saw no worth in them they might let them go but despite the angry look Viserys sent her at saying they or rather he was worthless the bandits only laughed and said to her in a coarse voice.

"You are a fine piece of ass, he is worthless but you would be worth a fortune to the pleasure houses of Lys, they love young dragon girls as long as we don't damage you too much. Might even thank us for breaking you in." He said laughing echoed by his men, making Daenerys' eyes widen in panic as their meaning became clear and she struggled with all her might but the bandits were too strong for her to break their hold. Her terror at what was about to happen and the men's overconfidence nearly caused her to retreat into herself when suddenly just over the laughing she heard the sounds of a horse's hooves coming towards them at very high speeds. She thought it could only be more bandits or maybe Dothraki although she did not know which was worse and resigned herself to her fate when a cry from one of the bandits made her open her eyes and look at what was happening.

Her heart soared when she saw that the newcomer was no bandit nor a Dothraki and his sword glinted in the sun as it took the head of a bandit as he rode past. She took a moment to observe him as the bandits holding her let go to try and kill the interloper, his simple leather clothes were well made but his sword was of the finest quality. She was astonished to see him leap from his fine horse and with a Westerosi style sword cut down the bandits with an ease that took her breath away. The sight of blood sickened her a bit but she was so in awe of his skill with a blade that she could not look away. While greater in number the bandits were uncoordinated and unskilled in actual swordplay, allowing the man from Westeros to cut them down with ease.

Within minutes all the bandits lay dead except for the one that had touched her breast, who was running for his horse until the newcomer drew a knife from his belt and threw it into the bandit's back. The man went down immediately and the newcomer didn't miss a beat before he walked over to them, she was worried for a moment that he might take a swing at her as his sword was still in hand but he sheathed it and asked her with eyes that showed concern.

"Are you alright my lady?"

She could not answer for a moment as she was momentarily stunned by the handsome young man in front of her. He was taller than her with a muscular build although he appeared not that many years older than her. His hair was a very dark brown that bordered on black and his eyes where an deep shade of emerald that she had never seen before. She had heard that Lannisters had green eyes but she could not help but reason they would be a pale imitation of the young man's in front of her. His face was strong and his expression genuine so she believed him. Managing to smile now the danger had passed she answered.

"I am well good ser, we would not have been if you had not intervened. Thank you." She said her smile growing while he said with a slight chuckle.

"I am no ser, but I accept your thanks. Perhaps you should you stay clear of such places in future. The wastes are no place for a Targaryen Princess Daenerys." The stranger said with a knowing smile. Daenerys was shocked that he knew her true identity and would have asked him how he knew but he put a hand up to stop her but before he could speak the bruised Viserys shouted.

"HOW DARE THEY LAY A HAND ON ME! I AM THE DRAGON! I WILL-." Whatever else Viserys was going to say was cut short by the stranger backhanding him, knocking the already injured madman to the ground, surprising the timid Daenerys. The stranger looked down in disgust at Viserys and did not say anything more as he went from each one of the dead bandits, looting their corpses for any values he could find and placing them on their cart, he even tied the bandits' horses to the back before coming back to speak to her.

"The gold and valuables they were carrying should see you settled for a time, the sale of the horses and steel a little more but my lady I must tell you." The stranger told her as he roughly picked up the still dazed Viserys and laid him down on the cart. "As long as you stay with this foolish snake who thinks himself a powerful dragon you will never see home and he may well lead you to your own end. You have a strength and intelligence that could carry you far, but only if you give it the chance. Should the opportunity ever come to be free of him, I advise you to take it." His words shocked her and as he climbed back on his own horse she only managed to ask him while her mind was spinning from his blunt words.

"Who are you?"

The stranger turned and merely smiled before he rode off, leaving a confused and thoughtful Daenerys behind. She climbed onto the cart and rode for Norvos but her mind was thinking on what the stranger had said, deciding for the first time on her own to instead to take them to Pentos straight away, a master there had offered them shelter and she would like to seek his hospitality. Viserys was all she had but was he worth sticking around for? She turned her head to her brother who was moaning quietly on the back of their cart before continuing on, wondering on the stranger's words.

 **-x-**

Harry continued his journey back to the Golden Company, wondering if he had said the right thing to Daenerys Targaryen about her brother. He was a drunken wastrel and a nasty wastrel at that and he had sensed her natural strength hidden by years of abuse but she was not yet ready to leave him. He could only hope the last woman of House Targaryen found a way to leave her brother behind before he destroyed her.

He might have considered taking her with him but a sellsword camp was no place for a girl like her and he did not feel comfortable taking her with him on his travels as he would have to tell her of his magic. A secret he was not ready to share with anyone, especially someone who might try and use it to gain a throne.

He would be no-one's pawn Harry thought with determination.

Finally after a long ride he arrived at the Golden Company camp, recognising him the sentries let him past without question. He saw a few riding towards the camp ahead of him, no doubt to announce his approach, Harry wondered what Strickland would do when he returned with the documents and still very much alive. He expected an ambush before he entered the camp at the very least if not a poisoning attempt and so he kept his hands close to his weapon and his eyes open as he rode closer to the camp.

His suspicions only heightened as he heard movement in the nearby bushes and Harry tensed preparing himself for a fight, his hand close to his sword while the other held his horse's reins. He looked ahead to see a point where the path had bushes on either side.

'That is where it will be' Harry thought not smiling as he saw the heads of at least three men just peeking out of bush, obviously being too tall for it to completely obscure them. Harry's expression was growing darker with every moment that past, tired from the journey and in no mood to deal with these idiots who themselves were on the payroll of a larger fool he cast a fire a spell silently from his ring towards the bush, his anger putting a little too much power into it causing the entire bush to burst spontaneously into flame. The men screamed as they burned, stumbling blindly only for Harry to ride past on horseback and decapitate them with his sword. A quick wave of his hand extinguished the fire and he looked through their burnt bodies for any proof of their being on Strickland's payroll. Finding a pouch of gold that bore Strickland's own standard brought a smile to his face, it was no much but it would be enough to cast suspicion.

He got back on Storm's back and continued towards the camp, the sentries continued to let him pass recognising his face but both looked surprised at how angry Harry looked. No one dared approach him as he rode through the camp towards Strickland's tent, the sellswords followed eagerly anticipating a confrontation. The camp Harry realised must have been buzzing with gossip as to his antagonistic relationship with the Company's leader and dearly wanting to see the two of them come to blows. That only made Harry angrier, he was not here risking his life for their entertainment he fumed. The sight of Strickland made Harry glare, while the man hid his surprise there was a slight nervous tick around his eyes.

Harry jumped from his horse and walked forward with a furious expression on his face.

"WHY DO YOU WANT TO KILL ME STRICKLAND?" Harry shouted out causing some of the men around especially the Company Commanders to gasp and look between Harry and Strickland, expecting an explanation from one of them. While Strickland spluttered Harry obliged them. "YOU TIPPED OFF THE NORVOSI THAT I WAS COMING! THEY HAD MY LIKENESS, HOW I WAS SUPPOSED TO ENTER THE CITY AND WHAT MANSE I WAS SUPPOSED TO GO TO! THEY COULD ONLY HAVE GOT THAT FROM YOU AND THEN THOSE THUGS ATTACK ME ON THE ROAD BACK HERE, WITH THIS POUCH OF GOLD IN THEIR POSSESSION!" Harry threw the pouch with Strickland's standard on it towards the other Company Commanders. Balaq caught it and seeing the symbol frowned intently at Strickland, saying in a perfectly calm voice but one devoid of his usual warmth and humour.

"I think you had best answer the boy Strickland." The other commanders nodded, discipline even amongst sellswords was important to make a company work and this could badly affect Company morale that the leader of the company was trying to kill his own men. Strickland looked outraged that his subordinates who dared to question him and the Qohorik representative who had followed the Company Commanders out of his tent did not look very happy either given it was their contract he had put in jeopardy. Finally with his skin turning an ugly red Strickland shouted back at Harry.

"YOU FAMILY RUINED MINE! THEY TOOK EVERYTHING WE HAD AND FORCED US TO FLEE WESTEROS! YOUR MISERABLE LIFE IS LITTLE COMPENSATION BUT IT WILL HAVE TO DO!" Strickland shouted and Harry's eyes narrowed as he pulled _Orphanmaker_ from its sheath while Strickland drew his own sword, which Harry noticed with surprise was also made of Valyrian steel.

The two men walked towards each other with murder in their eyes despite the calls from some to stop or the cheers of others to fight. Harry and Strickland finally met in the middle and there was a loud clang as their swords met quickly followed by another as they continued their fight to the death.

Harry was focused completely on the fight, blocking out the sounds of the men cheering focusing all his attention on defeating Strickland. His strikes Harry noticed as he blocked them were clumsy and his muscles did not seem to have the power one would have expected from a professional sellsword. The portly belly and fat on his face did not Harry realise conceal a great amount of muscle. His skill with a sword was perhaps acceptable Harry conceded but it was not delivered with the sharpening of experience, perhaps he thought because Strickland had been the Company's paymaster before he became the leader. Adequate Harry supposed as he parried Strickland's strikes and sidestepped his thrusts but not really skilled.

Wanting to end this as he was tired from his journey Harry caught him in a blade lock and then began twisting the lock to weaken Strickland's hold on his sword before grabbing and twisting his wrists, forcing the surprised Strickland to drop his sword which Harry caught with his honed reflexes and with both swords now in hand slashed hard against Strickland's neck his muscles protesting fiercely but the result devastating all the same as Strickland's head was separated from his shoulders.

Silence fell over the area as everyone witnessed the death of the company leader, the commanders most of all as they now had the difficult duty of choosing a new leader and disappeared into back into the tent. As the men milled around Harry took the opportunity to return _Orphanmaker_ to its sheath while examining the Valyrian sword he had taken from Strickland, whose body was just lying there as no one seemed bothered enough to clean it up.

It was a Bastard sword or a hand-and-a-half longsword like his own but was very well decorated; the blade steel's had been shaded gold. The cross guard had a small dragon head on either side with small rubies for eyes and the handgrip was made completely of metal ending in a larger ruby. It was one of the most magnificent swords Harry had ever seen and in that moment Harry made the decision that he was going to keep it by rite of conquest and all that Harry thought taking the scabbard from Strickland's body and moving to a quieter area of the camp to assemble his tent quickly so he could hide the sword inside and finally get a good night's sleep.

 **-x-**

The following morning Harry was feeling much refreshed and was fully aware that it would be best to leave the Company as soon as possible given that he had killed their leader and stolen his sword but his conscience much to his annoyance stopped him from simply using his magic to slip away and so he went to see Balaq using a notice me not charm to move through the camp without being detected so he could get to Balaq's tent undetected where he found his friend packing his belonging. Moving behind another tent to cancel the charm and not appear to materialise out of thin air, Harry made himself known with a concerned question.

"You are not leaving are you Balaq?" Harry hoped not, dreading the idea that his actions might have some negative impact on the friend who had introduced him to the company. Balaq turned to look and laughed but it was a full belly one which eased Harry's nerves considerably.

"No Harry, I am just moving into a bigger tent. The other commanders chose me to lead the company from now on although I might suggest you do leave as soon as possible. Killing our leader has some people angry at you, but I will be sad to see you go." Balaq said with a sad smile. Harry however was not sadden at all and grasped the taller man's shoulder.

"That is marvellous news! No one around here is more respected than you my friend and I know you will excel here." Harry said with genuine excitement for his friend. Balaq gave him a manly hug and told him.

"I hope that I will see you again my friend, safe journey." He said and Harry with one last look went to return to his tent but half way there he realised he had forgotten to reapply his charm when a voice called out to hm.

"Harry Tyrell! I must speak with you." A man called out to him, nearly groaning Harry turned and looked to see the representative from Qohor running towards him. Harry suddenly realised that he still had the documents he had taken from Norvos in his pouch and quickly pulled them out before the man could get close enough to notice that he had apparently pulled the large scrolls from nowhere.

"Master Sabris, I have the documents concerning the Norvosi plot. It reveals some of your city's younger nobility is conspiring with them." Harry said seriously handing the documents to the Master who eagerly took them and was briefly shocked at the names on the list before shaking his head in dismay before putting the documents into his satchel and telling Harry.

"I must thank you Harry Tyrell. These will prove most helpful, I owe you much especially as Strickland endangered the entire operation with his blind hatred so I will pass the gifts we were to have given to him as thanks on to you instead." The master said pointing to a cart with two horses, Harry's eyes widened when he saw what was on the back of it, not that he needed to as the master was quite proud to tell him.

"Some of the greatest tapestries that our city is famous for as well as some of our best wood carvings and furniture, a chest of gold and some nice pieces of steel work. After all Qohor is one of the wealthiest cities in the world." Master Sabris said proudly and Harry nodded in agreement but he realised the gifts were more about showing off than rewarding him. A way to tell the world. "Hey look how rich we are and how much we can give you." So they could buy or rather rent loyalty. Harry had seen such things in Westeros all his life, the biggest examples being Robert Baratheon, the Lannisters or his own family the Tyrells. Whenever an event was set, only the most elaborate and expensive things would do although his own family he was glad to say were far more frugal in their spending than the Lannisters or especially Robert Baratheon who according his grandmother was drinking, whoring and feasting himself into a mountain of debt.

None the less Harry accepted the gifts and guided the horses over to his tent where he could unload and store the gifts, musing to himself that it was just as well he was planning on going to Qohor next. He was going to need more storage chests so once he was packed, Harry leapt onto Storm's back and with Orion flying overhead, rode out of the Golden Company's camo. Some of the men cheered at him as he passed while over sneered but Harry ignored them, enjoying the feeling of the wind in his hair as he continued his travels.

* * *

 _ **Qohor...**_

A day or so later Harry looked at the city of Qohor on the nearby hill while sitting on his horse with his hawk perched on his shoulder. The enormous trade caravans that passed through the city was dazzling in the array of colour and goods they carried. Merchants came to this city as despite it being longer to take goods over land it was cheaper than sailing with Qarth's legendary harsh tolls. So goods from the likes of Yi Ti, the Bone Mountains and beyond would past through this city on their way west, while caravans from the west would in turn head east making the city one of the wealthiest around.

Harry took a deep breath and smiled, glad that he was finally back on the road after his stint in the Gold Company urging Storm forward so he could finally visit the city that many called the most exotic and mysterious of the Free Cities. His hopes of finding mystical knowledge and other magic here nearly making him urge his horse into a run as he passed through the gates, eager to discover its secrets.

The buildings were much like you would find in any city which had once been a part of the Valyrian Freehold, a mix of old Valyrian style structures and newer more simple buildings but what Harry did not sense was actual magic, his smile started to dim slightly. He kept riding hoping that it was only one part of this city, coming to a large city square where he saw men in cowls cutting the throats of calves, horses and other animals before a Black Goat. The sight disgusted Harry, he had heard that daily animal sacrifices were made to the Black Goat by the people of the city and that they would on holy days sacrifice human criminals but in times of war even the children of the elite were expected to be sacrificed to ensure victory. It made Harry sick to his stomach but he could at least take comfort that no war threatened Qohor right now.

It soured his enjoyment of being in a new place and soon his temper was growing increasing dark as he rode around the city and sensed no magic at all. He shook his head in anger; animal sacrifices, blood magic was that what people thought magic was he asked himself. It was wondrous and capable of so much good as well as the bad but the ignorant masses of this world only wanted to believe the worst of what they did not understand fed by the words of the supposed intellectuals like the maesters who Harry honestly thought were the most stuck up and ignorant of all. The only positive outcome so far today was thanks to the city's famous wood carvers he had acquired twenty five new chests that he was going to enhance with magic the next chance he got, so his storage problems were for the moment dealt with.

His good mood now ruined Harry was about to turn around and leave the city when he saw that he was coming upon the famous forges of the city.

His excitement began to return as he wondered about their secrets, these men produced the finest steel in the world and he was honestly eager to see how they did it. He frowned when he realised they would not simply allow him to watch them so he decided to set up camp nearby and use his magic to observe them unnoticed for a few days.

 **-x-**

 _ **A day later…**_

Harry was as eager a young boy as he saw the men in the forge hammer the steel, reworking it again and again to remove any impurities in the metal, sometimes adding some to make the metal stronger in the long run. There was Harry discovered a pleasure to watching men take such pride and dedication in their work, attending to it so diligently you could well believe that they would either cry or kill you if their work was ever criticised. The workshop that Harry had chosen to observe was no exception with men working long into the night and then coming back the following day to do it all over again. The result was the greatest steel that could be made, he had not seen them rework Valyrian steel but the metal was so rare he had not expected too.

However what he did see was some of the old men dismissing an apprentice's work without even looking at it, snorting that his steel would be no doubt inferior. Harry's eyes narrowed, the apprentice who had learnt was called Brynden was in his early twenties with bright red hair and blue eyes that reminded Harry of a Tully's look.

But regardless of how he looked Brynden worked longer and harder than anyone here and it showed in his work. With the exception of his own sword _Orphanmaker_ and the sword he had taken from Strickland, never had Harry seen better steel.

The apprentice took it with a long suffering sigh and Harry decided to follow him once he left for home. He wondered why the young man even though he was an apprentice would put up with such abuse of his obvious talent and when the apprentice arrived at a run-down building he quickly understood. A flock of small children numbering almost six burst through the door at the sight of his all calling him father and embracing him with complete love and looking at him with adoration. A young woman came after the children smiling but with worn clothes and tired eyes.

Feeling like he was intruding, Harry made his way back to his tent wondering whether or not he should do anything to help. It was not his fight but he knew talent like Brynden's should never be wasted working for men that could only produce work of half the standard he did but if he should intervene what should he do?

Harry once he arrived back in his tent he sat in his chair, and read while trying to decide on what to do. Beating up the older men would not help as they would only be kind as long as Harry was here to keep them in check and likely punish Brynden once he was gone, to say nothing of making sure that he was paid for his work, which Harry gathered did not happen very often.

It was then that he remembered the old saying he had heard someone say once. "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him a fish and he will eat for a lifetime." Harry smiled as a plan formed in his mind, one that could well make him a strong new ally here in this large and exotic continent.

 **-x-**

The following morning Brynden was walking back towards the forge where he worked, getting ready for another day of criticism and being exploited by those who held his strings. He had no money to open a forge of his own with six children and a wife to feed, not on the pittance that he was paid. He had long accepted there was little chance of change so he had better get on with it to make sure things did not get any worst.

He was passing an old and abandoned building when a man a few years younger than himself, he looked Westerosi with dark hair and emerald eyes. He smiled and said.

"Good morning, I understand you are the most talented blacksmith in the city." The stranger said. Brynden was stopped still in surprise and wondered if this man was a thug hoping to steal from him not that he had any money Brynden thought his stomach rumbling after he had missed breakfast again so his children could eat.

"I am afraid if you seek to rob me, I have no money. I am but a poor blacksmith." Brynden said depressed wondering if he was about to be beaten up or killed, either would be fatal for his family. The stranger just laughed and replied with amusement taking no offense at all.

"I am no thug Brynden my name is Harry Tyrell, I have seen your work and admit it is the best steel I have seen. I am looking to open a shop with but I have no skill with the hammer and the forge. I will buy the building and get the equipment, you find the men to work the forges. Are you interested?"

Brynden was momentarily struck dumb by the offer which was then followed by suspicion, wondering if it was going to be the exact same with someone taking advantage of him or more likely a cruel joke played on him by the other smiths albeit a more elaborate one than usual. Harry seemed to sense what he was thinking and pushed the door of the old building open and offered Brynden a scroll.

"Here is the proof of my claim, I have even named you as co-owner of the building." Harry said and Brynden gave the document a quick glance over it and his eyes widened as he saw the official seal of the city magister with him named as the joint owner of the building but when he looked inside the building he now apparently owned part of he was completely blown away.

It was a complete Blacksmith workshop, with furnaces, anvils and all the tools for at least twenty smiths. Brynden could not believe his eyes and he could only say one word in his complete shock.

"Why?"

Harry hesitated to answer, not entirely sure himself why he was doing this. He could say that it was about establishing a presence in the city, starting a business to earn him coin but perhaps it boiled down to a much more pure reason, one that might have come straight from the mouth of Harry Potter.

"I hate bullies." Harry told Brynden, his eyes growing cold for a moment. "Squashing those that cannot defend themselves because their victims are far smarter or more capable then they will ever be but unable to fight back. Thriving on fear and laughing at others for no good reason when it is they who are the truly worthless." Harry said thinking back on all the misery of his opposite's early years feeling almost as if it had happened to him. "I want to help, because no one else will. I want you to achieve your full potential and be able to feed your family. Why I feel this way I cannot say but I know you and I will benefit from this. Now are in or out?" Harry asked, eager to get on with the matter at hand.

Brynden was still slightly stunned but despite his suspicions, he could not help but trust the young man who he had just met. He seemed to have a good heart and that his mother had told him was worth its weight in gold.

 **-x-**

They went to a nearby tavern and sat down with an ale each to discuss what to do with their new venture.

"The shop won't last long without customers and the other smiths have a strangle hold on the richest." Brynden said as he sipped his ale, not thinking any of them would want to make a deal with an upstart like him but Harry just shook his head and said.

"Leave that to me, can you find the men to work the forges? And were we can get the ore from?" Harry asked him and Brynden nodded. He knew a lot of young men like him with families to support that were kept one step ahead of homelessness by their employers not allowed to move anymore. A better paid job would make them folk to join his and Harry's new forges, as for the raw materials he knew the tradesmen by name and as long as they were paid they would not care who bought their ore. Harry gave him a good sized bag of gold coins, the size of which made Brynden's eyes widen.

"Get the ore and the men, I will get the clients. Just tell me who the most frequent and richest customers of your previous employers and soon they will be giving you their contracts." Harry said and Brynden looked at him strangely, wondering who this cocky young man was and if he could do all he claimed. Deciding to accept his words for now Brynden told him the names of seven men who visited his old employer the most, by large arms merchants with a few other smaller contracts for tools. Harry pulled out seven contracts he had prepared and showed them to Brynden who read them carefully making Harry smile that he was clearly no fool before he placed his own signature on them too.

Harry nodded with a smile and made plans to visit each of those men and 'convince' them to sign an exclusive contract with Brynden and him. He got up and wished Brynden luck in getting the ore they would need and the men to work the forges. It had been a simple matter to steal all the equipment from Brynden's old employer and simply use magic to make it look brand new again. Burning the place down covered any evidence of the theft and made one less rival to deal with was just icing on the cake. Ruthless maybe but also practical.

 **-x-**

Harry wandered towards the rich quarter of the city and looked for the manses in question. The first being an arms merchant who sold armour and weapons to a few of the Free Cities, Astapor and the wealthier Sellsword companies. He walked up to the guards who barred anyone access, slaves Harry noticed with disgust but focused on the matter at hand casting a notice me not charm so he could walk past them at will. He walked through the manse looking for its master, not bothering to look at the display of wealth around him he had other things to do.

Finally he found the solar of the master of the house which Harry noticed was bigger than most castle halls. A rather squat man sat at a desk looking over papers and Harry smirked noticing no one else was there, making his job far easier.

Walking forward he raised his ring and cast a confusion charm on the man whose eyes glazed over and seeing the charm was working Harry spoke.

"Good morning, I have the most amazing deal for you. The greatest smith in Qohor is taking on new customers and would like to offer you a good deal if you get your steel exclusively from him." Harry said walking forward, the dazed man only said.

"Exclusive deal." He managed to say and Harry's smile widened now resembling a shark, putting a magical contract in front of the merchant which had already been signed by Brynden.

"Just sign here." Harry said and pushed the scroll forward, the man seemed to fight against the charm for a moment before signing in the right place. Harry smiled and took the contract and blew to dry the ink before creating two copies. The original he would keep while the merchant and Brynden would get one each.

"A pleasure doing business with you." Harry said and leaving one of the contracts he walked out of the room and disappeared with a pop, only to reappear in the garden of his next customer this time a tool merchant who also worked in ship building. Here Harry had a little trouble controlling him as his will was far stronger than the arms merchant but with a little extra power he too signed the contract before Harry moved on to the next.

 **-x-**

It had taken hours for Harry to secure the contracts and he had used more magic than normal today but he thought with a grateful smile it had been worth it. The contracts were signed and because he had used the confusion charms although the merchants would not remember him clearly they would remember signing the exclusive deals and the fact it was a magically binding contract only made it sweeter. If they tried to break it they would experience pain until they relented and even death if they didn't. He had been careful when he had included his own name on the contract and written into the terms and conditions protections for both him and Brynden in case the forge was unable to fulfil an order or some such problem emerged.

He returned to the shop and saw smoke rising from the chimneys, he smiled and walked inside to see Brynden and twenty other men working hard. His new business partner saw him and smiled as he walked over.

"I can get twenty more if you get us the contracts." He said eager to see if Harry had been successful and Harry offered him a copy of each of the contracts. Brynden eagerly took and then laughed when he saw the contracts, which would keep them busy for months and earn them all a small fortune.

"Good, best get those extra men since you are going to be busy." Harry said glad to see his latest venture taking off. "I will be leaving Qohor soon. Think of me as a silent partner. I trust you know how to run the shop and deal with customers." Harry told him and Brynden although surprised eagerly nodded.

"I have been watching the other smiths do it for years, even done it for them when they were too pissed to do it themselves. When will you be back?" He asked wondering if he should keep some of their profits aside to pay him his share. Harry told him after reading his surface thoughts to confirm it was more than just bravado and that he knew how to run the shop.

"I do not know when but I may ask for favours in the future." Harry said with a smile and shaking Brynden's strong and calloused hand Harry left the shop and jumped back on his horse, riding south west towards the Qhoyne River.

* * *

 _I hope this was worth the wait, please review and let me know what you think._


	5. Chapter 5 Rivers Cities

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _First off I am sorry, I hoped to get this chapter out sooner but a hand injury and other real life issues stopped me writing for a while. I hope to have chapter six out by the end of the month. Thank you to everyone that reviewed, it had me shocked how many people are already following this story but I really appreciate it. Thank you…_

 **Chapter 5 – Rivers Cities**

 _ **Qhoyne River…**_

Harry slowly pushed his small boat along the great rivers that had once given rise to the Rhoynar kingdom before the Valyrians had destroyed it. But Harry thought as he took a deep breath of the clean and cool air around him that he was glad that they had not destroyed this place completely as they had others during their conquest.

It was beautiful here.

Golden brown and green Pine trees lined the river and in the cool clear water there were many fish swimming along its length, but it was the bugs that were only annoying thing Harry thought as he saw them over the water and around the trees. He had been stung several times already but thankfully they were just normal flies and no infection was likely to take place but it was irritating. Seeing the sun dipping towards the horizon Harry pushed his boat over to the bank. He secured the pole and grabbed hold of the mooring rope before jumping ashore and tying it firmly around the strongest closest tree he could find. With that done he pulled on the rope to make sure the boat was secure and looked around for fresh fruit that he might use for his dinner or signs of animals he could hunt but seeing nothing he sighed knowing he would again have to dig into his stores. The stasis preservation charms worked wonders but if he could keep them for times when there was no chance resupply it would be better. Still he would just have to restock in the next town he came too Harry thought resigned. Storm had been put into stasis in the tent inside his own special enlarged chest so he would not have to manage a horse on a small boat or feed him, one less headache to think about however much he hated treating his horse like that.

As he continued to look around for fruits he could eat hoping he might have missed something on his initial search, Harry saw a cluster of plants around the base of one of the largest of the pine trees. He walked over and saw the familiar looking round green leaves and darker green stalk, a plant his opposite had become very accustomed to in his world. Dittany, one of the most effective and useful healing agents in the world. Brilliant in treating scars and physical wounds by being consumed or applied directly to an open wound, it also aiding in fighting infections and if processed into a potion form could heal severe lacerations and infections if given quickly enough. Another look around showed a lot more Dittany scattered around and Harry smiled, this he thought was useful…no-one in this world knew of its incredible healing properties and if he could cultivate it then it would make a genuine difference to a lot of people. So he started going around collecting as much of it as he could carry and with his magic transconfigured stones into pots to put them in before returning to his small boat.

 **-x-**

His tent set up on the small deck Harry put the plants into stasis before he went to make a more permanent solution to the insects and animals that lived on the river. For now they were more or less benign but the further down the river that might not be the case, so he would need to prepare something to deal with them. Again the memories of the other world provided the answer, taking a small metal band that he had gotten in one of his first poker games and kept as a memento deciding to put it to use.

He sat down at his small worktop and pulled one of his throwing knives from his belt and carefully carved runes into the bronze. Once finished he nicked his finger and dropped a small bit of blood onto each one, which glowed briefly before returning to normal. Harry smiled, the runes were designed to repel animals and insects in dangerous environments. Here that would be useful in preventing insects or animals coming in his direction when he got underway in the morning. But before he went to bed he checked the maps he had of Essos to see what settlements lay in his path and saw a number but all were ruined centuries ago. He would find the first tomorrow if he continued on his present course, a place called Ar Noy.

* * *

 _ **Ar Noy, the following morning…**_

Once a great city of the Rhoynar, the city of Ar Noy was now a ruin after the Valyrian invasion and centuries of neglect. Many walls had collapsed and creeper covered most of them, the roots of trees had broken most of the roads and many buildings had fallen into the river Harry noticed as he sailed towards it. Even the river pirates had abandoned this place except for occasional short stops, he could see the remains of their abandoned camps from the water but through the eyes of Orion who flew overhead Harry could see no sign of them now.

The devastation was so complete that virtually nothing was recognisable now making Harry frown in disappointment, he had hoped to see something of the Rhoynar civilisation but just as he was about to give up hope of finding anything, Orion high above the trees saw a small cluster of buildings hidden by dense forest. Unless you stumbled on the right path or could warg with a bird in flight, you would never know they were there. It did not look like much Harry thought as he looked through Orion's eyes but it brought a small smile to his face, there was something to look into he thought. Not much but something.

So tying his boat to another sturdy tree Harry slipped his pack on his back and wandered into the forest, forcing his way through the heavy brush and in fact had to use his sword to cut through the thicker parts but after twenty minutes of hard work, Harry finally managed to enter the small clearing only to frown in annoyance when he realised just what the buildings were.

Warehouses partly collapsed from years of neglect with what looked like piles of rotting wood and broken stone inside. A builder's surplus yard Harry thought shaking his head in disappointment, he had hoped to see something more than generic storehouses that had mostly fallen apart. In fact only one was still standing although for how much longer Harry could not say. Not wanting to have come all this way for nothing he walked forward and peered through a broken window to see crates of something inside, with a final look to see if the building was liable to collapse and for the moment sure it wouldn't Harry opened the rotting door which came off its hinges. Harry was silent for a moment, sure that the sudden movement might bring the roof down but after a short while nothing happened and he breathed a sigh of relief, throwing the door aside when he realised he was still holding it.

He carefully stepped inside ready to run at the slightest sign of the roof caving in, before he realised the crates were sealed shut and the wood had strange symbols that he recognised as runes carved into them. He used the same runes himself to preserve food and other perishables. Now he could see why they were in such good condition and his excitement grew, the Rhoynar were supposed to have magic before they were destroyed by the Valyrians but those that had settled in Dorne to avoid enslavement or destruction had lost their abilities. He used his sword to break the sealed crate open and see what was inside, wondering what they could have thought so valuable to preserve with magic in a builder's yard.

When the lid finally came off Harry was surprised to see slabs of marble inside the crates but not just any marble Harry saw. The marble in the crate was the most dazzling shade of green and there was also slabs in shades of pink and white but all had beautiful gold inlayed patterns. It was far better work than he had ever seen either in Hightower, one of the wealthiest castles in Westeros or anywhere else he had seen. The quality of the marble was truly as close to perfect as you could imagine Harry thought as he ran his hand over the cold stone. Going to another crate he found yet more marble inside and in another and then another, there had to be fifteen crates of it at least Harry thought excitedly. If he could find a way to get the marble out of here and somewhere to sell it then it would make him a rich man Harry thought not that he cared about that but it would he conceded be a useful reserve if he needed money beyond what he already had.

With the decision to take it all made Harry then frowned at the question of how he was going to carry all of this marble, he looked around and saw a smaller empty crate that had rotted slightly but with protection by the roof from the elements, it had done far better than one might have expected. A quick repair charm and it was soon back in good condition and Harry carefully carved the preservation runes into it with a space expansion and a weightless rune as well. He decided given the environment to not risk blood magic in case he picked up an infection and instead planted his hand onto the wood and started channelling magic into the runes to charge them. While not as quick or effective as blood it would be fine for now and allow him to take the marble with him when he left.

With his crate now ready Harry turned around and began shrinking all the crates full of marble and levitating them into the empty crate which now could easily fit them all. With that done Harry picked up his small crate decided to apparate back to his boat rather than try and carry all his new gains back on foot through the thick forest.

Arriving seconds later Harry stepped back on board his small boat and set his tent back up to settle in for the night. Once he had stored his new gains he took out one of the maps he had brought to guide his journey and saw what he could expect if he continued on his path? The Dagger Lake which was pirate infested from all reports Harry thought annoyed and then worst was the last city before the river eventually drained into the Summer Sea, Chroyane. The ruined capital of the Rhoynar kingdom which was now full of the deadly Stonemen, people driven to madness by Greyscale and now more animal than human living in constant pain and hunger. The thought of such pain and suffering made Harry change his plans to continue by boat and look at the map to find somewhere he could continue his travels by land. Finding none Harry considered that he might have to go back up the river the way he came and return to Qohor and seek another road there.

He was against the idea of going back but what other choice did he have Harry thought not wanting to risk being anywhere near the Stonemen given how infectious their disease was and not sure the dittany could help heal the infection given its deadly virulence. So with reluctance he decided to make a return trip to Qohor in the morning and went to bed.

While he slept however the rope strained against the current of the river which was far stronger here than it had been upstream. Harry was completely unaware as the rope knot slipped and came undone, allowing the boat to be forced southward by the current.

 **-x-**

A jolt woke Harry less than a few hours later, enough to throw him out of bed in a heap. Orion's perch was knocked over which irritated the bird no end. Harry meanwhile was startled and got to his feet quickly pulling his sword from the nearby table and rushing to the opening of the tent to see what was happening, not sure if he was under attack by river pirates or something worse although if it was the former or the latter it worried him greatly as that would mean the charms rendering his tent undetectable had failed.

That particular worry evaporated as he came to the opening of his tent. The boat that the tent stood on was surrounded by water on every side and the water was near calm aside from the current which was still carrying the boat forward. But the real problem Harry realised with worry was that the boat was not where it was supposed to be, if he had to guess Harry would say that he was in Dagger Lake, just on the verge of entering the Sorrows. Harry thinking fast looked for his pole but it looked like it had been knocked over board when he had hit whatever it was that had woken him. Checking the boat Harry was glad to see that there was no water leaking in but still the danger he was now faced with was enough to stop him still for a moment.

He looked around the lake expecting to see these river pirates he had been warned about but all along the banks there were only ruined boats and what looked like corpses on the bank. Harry swallowed, not sure what to think and went into his tent with the intention of making a new steering pole or a paddle. He honestly wanted to hit himself for his stupidity, why had he not checked the rope properly? He scolded himself for it was his negligence that had landed him in such a bad position, in lands and waters dominated by Stonemen who would rip him apart given the chance and he was beginning to suspect had been the ones to slaughter the river pirates. It might now he realised be quicker to make a run for the southern coast than work his way back north but that he realised would mean going through Chroyane which would be swarming with Stonemen, exactly what he had wanted to avoid. The current would have him there within an hour or so at Harry's best estimate and thinking about it the trip north would take far longer having to fight the current.

Reluctantly Harry went to get dressed and ready himself for the challenges ahead, fixing the runic bracelet to his arm he armed himself with his dragon ring, dagger, throwing knives and sword. Taking a steadying breath he broke a chair leg and lengthened it with his magic before slowly leaving the tent and doing his best to get this journey over with as soon as possible.

The dense forest had never seemed as dark and threatening as it now he realised urging the boat on with his new pole. He could only hope the sounds of twigs breaking and rustling in the bushes were animals because if they were Stonemen that meant he was surrounded on all sides, making him even more nervous than ever but they did not attack, even when he came close enough for them to jump aboard. Harry looked down at the bracelet on his arm and wondered if its animal repelling runic ward was what was keeping them back. Were their minds so damaged that they were affected by wards intended for animals and insects? Harry wondered and a slight sympathy struck him before he ruthlessly quelled it.

Harry then looked ahead and saw something incredible, creeper and other plants covered buildings began to come into view as he steered his boat around the bend.

Even through the fog that blanketed the city it was still impressive despite the buildings being covered in grey moss and black creeper, the shape of the buildings and their magnificent design was still apparent. The paved roads were broken by erupting roots but could still be moved around on foot.

Through the creeper and moss the elegant stonework and artistry that had been put into every single building of the ruined capital was still as visible now as surely it must have been for centuries or more before in some places. Mosaics lined both walls and the paved ground showing the history of the civilisation that had built it but towering overall them was the Palace. The Palace of Love or Sorrow, Harry couldn't remember but either way it stood taller and wider than any castle he had ever seen, even Highgarden one of the largest and oldest castles in all of his homeland could not compare with its enormous size. Elsewhere broken temples and green obelisks rose out of the water all around making it hazardous to transverse by water but still the work was glorious.

His distraction however proved dangerous as while he was looking at the buildings around him he was not looking where he was going and soon enough he felt a hard jolt and his boat stopped instantly. He looked around him to see that his boat had become lodged in the thick mind that was on the sides of the river and stronger than the thickest glue. While he knew that he could get the boat out with effort it still put him in a very dangerous position. He nervously looked around and could see the Stonemen walking around but fortunately they had not yet detected him, due to his runic band however Harry knew that these protections would not be one hundred percent effective as for example if he accidentally touched one of the Stonemen they would instantly see through it and eat him. Not to mention there was the very likely outcome of him being infected by the disease and reduced like them to the level of animals. With that in mind he tried with all his might to push the boat out of the mud but the boat was stuck fast and would not move.

Harry honestly felt sick to his stomach, now he was in the worst position he had ever been in his entire life. He was surrounded by Stonemen in a boat that he simply could not move and then he felt the pole snap leaving half of it stuck in the mud. He looked at it in shock and while he could simply repair it what good would that do, he asked himself?

He would still be stuck in the mud.

So with great anxiety Harry called on his magic with a wave of his hand, his tent packing itself up so he could stow it on his back and was ready to teleport himself back to safety, but to his horror he discovered he could not. Something in the air around him ward prevented him from leaving halting the process just at the last moment, like throwing a magical net over him. He was well and truly trapped. Harry looked around at the Stonemen nervously, feeling genuinely scared.

Well at least, Harry thought trying to be positive in the face of what could very well be a life-and-death situation, he knew now that the rumours of the city having magic users in its population were true. But it also left him in a very dangerous position because he could not simply leave by his magic, the boat itself was stuck and would be next to impossible to move so his options were very limited. He could either try continuing to get the boat out in the mud which looked very hard to do and could take a couple of days or he might try as dangerous as it was to get out of the land and continue south towards the coast but that Harry thought himself with nervousness was suicide if the runic band failed which considering the magic in this city could be a possibility, the best way out or rather the quickest was to get out by boat so he would have to somehow free it from the mud. So he set to work, trying to vanish the mud with his magic but there were simply too much of it to move without exhausting himself and he could not try burning it away because the boat he was on was made of wood so reluctantly he decided he would have to try and push it out. But just as he came to that conclusion a new problem developed.

His efforts to vanish the mud caused a small stone pillar held up by the mud to topple over in the water making a rather loud splash and trapping his boat in. Worse it had been noticed by the Stonemen who were now coming to investigate the disturbance hoping to find food. Harry saw them coming and knowing there was no chance of freeing the boat before they got there and not wanting to fight against the small horde that was approaching him, he had no choice but to flee leaping over the mud that remained to the solid ground and moving carefully round the Stonemen while they came upon his boat, now deprived of his magic to protect it. Harry watched dumbfounded as the boat itself was torn to pieces by the Stonemen acting like wild animals and leaving him with only one option as there were clearly no boats left here to escape in, he would have to travel via land but since he had no maps available to him that we could safely look at it now he would have to plan his route carefully thankfully he only had to follow the large Qhoyne river to find his way south.

Well Harry thought looking around at the magnificent buildings that had so entranced him that he had become stuck here by marvelling at them, I might as well have a look around. So with his nerves still as tight as the elastic he had seen in the other world, Harry set off to explore the buildings that surrounded him.

 **-x-**

The first building Harry came across was some kind of manse, probably belonging at one stage to a wealthy merchant Harry decided as he carefully moved around the rotting wooden door. The expensive glasswork and ceramic vases were still intact although slightly covered in moss and as beautiful now as they must have been when they were first made. Any artwork made of wood or parchment had rotted by now which Harry thought was a shame as it must have been incredibly beautiful at one stage but was now he saw with disappointed eyes just a pile of rotting wood and paper. Then he noticed beautiful mosaics on the floor and on the walls which had survived better, Harry knew that many wealthy people would pay lavish sums to possess such things even though they would probably look at them once and never look at them again he thought with mirth. It seemed the nature of rich people to collect expensive things, look at them once and then never bother with them again surely something to boast about he thought and little more.

He dared go further inside the manse and came across the main hall where the rotting table had collapsed in the middle creating a pile of cutlery in the centre, while most of it had rusted completely over, some pieces were still glinting in the light and Harry realised to his surprise that they were made of solid gold which explained why they had not rusted like other metals. Harry revised his evaluation that this is wealthy merchant's home, with wealth like this he must be one of the richest men in the city and looking around some of the plates were made of either gold or silver to. Harry wondered how much they must all be worth and as he went into the other areas where only the servants would have worked, he saw much more of these valuable items just lying there forgotten in racks. He had to thank the Stonemen now Harry thought, the affliction had kept scavengers from coming here and all together the treasure in this city would probably be enough to buy some land and set yourself up as a Lord, not a very rich Lord maybe a poor one at that but still a Lord nonetheless. It would need to be cleaned with magic which hopefully should not take too long but otherwise completely salvageable.

So Harry thought he might as well make use of this opportunity and learn much he could, about the city and whatever secrets it still held. Knowing that it was best not to set up his tent anywhere near the Stonemen, Harry went up the stone staircase which he noticed was made of very impressive marble not unlike the material he had salvaged earlier in Ar Noy and put up his tent in one of the larger upstairs rooms. He repaired the doors with his magic and then moved a stone desk near to them to act as a barricade if need should arise. With this tent unpacked with a wave of his hand Harry went inside and emptied his pouch of money onto the table, money would do him no good here he reasoned and then also took one of his expanded trunks with him in reduced size as he knew there would be a lot more than his special pouch could handle. With that done Harry feeling a lot less brave than he would have liked decided to loot the manse of any wealth it still contained and if everything went right he thought to himself maybe the rest of the city as well.

 **-x-**

Starting first with the cutlery he collected the gold and silver that was still intact and decontaminated it with magic before shoving it into the trunk with gloves that he retrieved from his tent as a safety precaution, plates and goblets that where inlaid with precious stones followed after. The precious glasswork and ceramic artwork came next and he took great care when packing them so they would not shatter but even if they did a quick repair charm and he would soon have them fixed.

As he looked through the rest of the building Harry honestly thought he had never seen such wealth outside of his own family or Hightower since he had left home; the mosaics on the floor intrigued him but like the ones on the walls he decides to leave them as the effort required to remove them would have been too much he felt to be worth it. Moving into the other areas of the manse he started coming across the guest bedrooms which unfortunately had little of value to be taken as the silks and the wooden objects had long been rotting, but when he came into the what Harry presumably to be the family apartments things began to change. Jewellery had lasted a lot longer being made of gold, precious stones and silver than the wood and the silk. He cleaned them with his magic wondering to himself if he had ever used so many cleaning charms in his life before putting them into the trunk as well. Whoever the place belong to could not be identified Harry thought with some disappointment as any documents had rotted too but he noticed when he finally came across the family's treasure room which contained a very elaborate safe, there might yet be something still inside.

Unfortunately he found that the safe door had been corroded shut but a quick repair charm and Harry to be able to fix it. He concentrated and instantly his magic warped the safe back into pristine condition with sturdy steel and stone construction then with a smile coming on his face Harry used the unlocking charm to make the door spring open on his command. When Harry saw what was on the inside he was both astonished and ecstatic.

It seemed that the people who built the vaults have mastered the similar magic to himself, it was slightly larger on the inside than it was on the outside, allowing it to hold a good-sized pile of gold currency with symbol of the city carved on each side. There were some precious stones in there as well and some paintings preserved by the airtight vault. Harry's grin grew wider as he thought about how much wealth was there and how much there might still be in other parts of the city. He could only imagine whatever catastrophe could have forced the Valyrians to leave. It must have been truly devastating as they had not looted the city properly before they left. Harry wondered his smile dimming slightly as he thought about how many of the stories he had heard about the conquest might be true. Rumour had it that greyscale had first been seen here and that it was some kind of revenge on the people who would destroy this city.

Harry did not dwell on those thoughts, hoping that he was wrong although given that the magic that prevented him from leaving here was still strong after so many years it might be the case. That made him wonder if perhaps the cure if there was one might be found here, that he realised with excitement could well be a great contribution to the world and possibly eradicate the disease forever. However it looked like it would not be found here he realised sadly and although he went to work collecting all the valuables inside the vault quickly filling the trunk that he had brought with him and then the pouch he wondered where he might find that information. Once the vault was cleared he gave the rest of the manse quick look through and discovered that there was not much more to be found here, so he returned to the room where he had set his tent up and re-entered placing the filled trunk with the rest of his stored treasure and emptying the pouch into a trunk that had not been properly filled yet.

He picked up another empty trunk shrunk to a smaller size and his once again empty pouch and then left to see if he could find more in the city to be salvaged. The only reason he was able to find as much gold as he did he realised was because gold doesn't corrode like steel does, although he was not complaining. The next two manses he came across likewise had gold and other valuables inside although they were considerably less than the first manse but between them they filled a trunk. What did disappoint him however was that he could not find any information on the magic of the Rhoynar, he feared that maybe it'd all been destroyed or taken by the Valyrians. The public library he discovered had been blasted into a crater probably by dragon fire and in his mind's eye he could almost see it as a smoking crater, it enraged him to think of all the knowledge now been lost due to the carelessness of the conquerors when they had taken this city but that was the way of people high on success he thought darkly. What did it matter to them if future generations wanted this knowledge when they could just destroy now for their own quick pleasure? If the library have been intact enough and the books and scrolls preserved the maesters would have thanked him on hand and knee for that knowledge, but it looks like any knowledge left would have to be preserved in the manses of the city's elite.

He continue to search the city for the next day or so hoping to find something of the city's knowledge and culture had survived, but no matter where he looked it seemed like the people were more concerned with their wealth than their knowledge. In annoyed him so much that something as great as their water magic could have been lost with no trace remaining, anywhere where magic might have been recorded in the libraries or the vaults of the elite had either been destroyed or it was simply not there. Harry was starting to lose patience although he was gaining a considerable amount of wealth from his looting, it was magical knowledge he craved and was starting to give up hope of ever finding any.

Then on the third day just as he was about to give up he was searching the city he noticed a large golden cage which was hanging in what had once been the city square. He had heard the story of how the invaders had hung the Prince that ruled the city in the cage and forced him to watch as his city was plundered and destroyed. Some say that he had cursed the invaders and made the rivers rise up and swallow the Valyrians in the current along with his own people but Harry had never put stock in these rumours until he noticed there was something shimmering inside of the cage and his interest was piqued. Looking around he found the mechanism that held the cage up and with a concentrated cutting charm from his ring, he severed the chain and allowed the cage to fall to the ground although a quick cushioning charm stopped it from being smashed to pieces. Harry carefully approached the cage wondering now if perhaps he should have thought this through a little better but he noticed that along the cage's golden bars runes had been inscribed which he recognised. They were often used in banishing rituals in the other world, you would use them to box spirit in so it could be properly exorcised but it could also be used to keep a ghost prisoner and sure enough on the inside was the spectral form of a man in the finest clothes Harry had ever seen.

He seemed to be kneeling like he was praying but he did notice Harry the moment he stepped up close. He turned to look at the young interloper and looked at him with curiosity before asking him.

"You are not one of the Dragon Lords. You have the bearing and complexion of a Westerosi. Who are you?" Ghost Prince asked wondering who could have managed to get past the Stonemen before he realised the human in front of him was magical. His expression grew more intrigued as Harry answered.

"My name is Harry Tyrell, I am a traveller who arrived at the city by accident and have the good fortune of having magic of my own to protect me." Harry told him honestly see no reason to lie, he could easily banish the spirit if needs be and he might learn something to by speaking to him. So Harry asked a question of his own. "And if I may ask who are you and how did you come to be in this situation?" Harry asked looking at the cage.

The Prince seemed confused clearly not used to talking to people after so long a time alone, but he answered glad to have someone to speak to you again.

"I am Prince Garin the Great and it was my own arrogance that led to my downfall." He answered sadly. "I did not do enough to stop the Dragon Lords before it was too late. My people paid the price, many were dragged off in chains while I was forced to watch from this lofty perch." The prince said they looked about the cage he was trapped in. "Then I did something very foolish, my captors did not know that I wielded the water magic of my people so they did not dampen my powers. I cut my own wrists to empower my spell to last beyond my death and it worked." He said his voice becoming increasingly bitter. "The river rose and swallowed everything in its waters, my own spell becoming the fog that wraps the city now and drowned everyone within it. The few that survived including those that remained of my own people were affected by the fog becoming the first sufferers of the disease that I unleashed upon the world. It even prevented any magic users from being able flee by inhibiting their powers although now it only inhibits the ability to leave by magic. I had thought that death would be a release but that the Valyrians thought it amusing to trap me within this cage and due my own arrogance no one was left to release me. It meant that this fog will not end until my spirit leaves this world which it cannot do as long as it is within this cage."

The Prince stopped talking, if he had been flesh and blood then he would surely have been crying Harry thought as great despair and regret emanated from him. He seemed desperate to tell Harry something so rather than speak he let the Prince continue.

"Learn from my mistakes young Tyrell, keep your eyes open and do not ignore signs of trouble that you do not like. If I had not done so and acted sooner, my city could have avoided this fate." The Prince seemed to collapse in on himself while Harry looked on in sympathy.

As stunned as he was by the Prince's words and knew he should take them to heart, he had never heard a man sound is wretched in all his days. Harry could see why, what people had survived the Valyrian attack had been dragged off in chains or turned into monsters by his own powers if not killed outright. And having to live with that for centuries…it would be more than anyone could bear Harry thought to himself sadly. So he decided to tell the Prince of the events that transpired after his death, hoping it might provide some relief.

"The Valyrians paid for the hubris in the end, the doom wiped out nearly their entire civilisation. Barely anything remains and the Rhoynar have grown strong again in a land called Dorne. So even in the darkest times hope endures and if I was to free you from this cage what would you do?" Harry was serious about freeing him, it would he hoped lift the fog and the magic that blocked his escape. But he would only do it if the Prince had no intention of starting some sort of revenge against an enemy that had long since perished.

Too many innocents could pay the price. If that was the case he hoped the news that the Rhoynar had survived and now had a new homeland would be enough to sway the Prince's anger.

The Prince himself was shocked at the idea that he might be able to leave his prison at long last, he had long resigned himself many years ago that he would be trapped in this cage for eternity and thought it appropriate for what he had done. The news that the enemy he had hated for so long was now vanquished by nature itself brought a small glimmer of satisfaction to his heart even if it was too late to save his people and if they indeed had not only survived but become strong again in another land there was something he could rejoice at. He turned to his would-be saviour and asked him.

"And what would you ask me in return?" Harry looked at him strangely for a moment before he answered.

"I had hoped to find traces of the water magic your people once practised, maybe even knowledge of their civilisation now so much has been lost after the conquest. Is there anywhere in the city where it might have survived? I would hope to preserve it for the future rather than let it rot here."

The Prince thought hard for a moment, not sure he should accept the offer as the young man in question might misuse those powers as he himself had once done. What was that old saying he thought himself the path to hell is paved with good intentions. He could only hope that the young man in front of him would handle the information he gave him responsibly, he did not want his civilisation's knowledge to die and if this young man had the power to free him it would no longer be his concern. So with a sense of relief that it would soon be over he decided to reveal the only place in the city with the knowledge the young man sought which might still exist.

"My private wing in the Palace of Love was enhanced with runic magic to protect it from the ravages of the elements, so my private library might have survived. The knowledge you seek may be found there. Now is it true that you can release me? I would dearly hope so because I could finally leave this cage and face judgement what have done under our gods and hope that they will be kind. If not at least I would be free of this hell." The Prince said with hope and pleading eyes, this half-life had been pure unyielding torture and he would gladly seek oblivion if not the next world so that it might end.

Harry nodded and hoping that his instinctive guess that the Prince would not seek revenge on an enemy now destroyed was right and he began the long and difficult work of disarming the runes that had been engraved onto the cage. Harry marvelled at strength of the runes, being so strong after centuries without recharging and he could only guess that they had taken the power of the ghost of the Prince himself. A ghost had a form which was pure energy so the runes would never potentially run out of energy…well perhaps they might Harry conceded in another thousand years or so but for now Harry was not intending to let that happen.

So carefully he disarmed each of the runes one by one. It took most of the day as whoever had cast them clearly knew their craft well Harry thought with a sigh of exhaustion beginning to creep in. But at last he managed to disarm enough of the runes to open the cage and the remaining runes lost power as the Prince's spirit floated out the cage for the first time since he had died within it centuries ago. The Prince did not need to stretch of course as he had no blood or muscles in his arms, but he did seem to relish the ability to move again flying like a young child who had suddenly been gifted with wings around the damaged and ruined square with reckless abandon. Harry watched feeling the exuberant mood of the Prince and it took nearly half an hour before he came back to Harry and beaming from ear to ear told him.

"Thank you young man. I cannot begin to tell you how much this means to me, take anything you want that remains in the city. It is my gift to you for all you have done, the combination to my vault is 8942 1511. Anything you want in there is yours. Oh my people, your Prince is free at last and he has much to atone for, please forgive me." The Prince then seemed to fade away into nothingness as he was finally able to pass on to whatever life came after death

Harry watched him disappear with a sad smile, he could only hope that the prince wherever he went found peace, after centuries of torment and guilt he deserved it.

Then Harry noticed as he looked around at the fog that blanketed the area and made it murky and fearsome had started to fade away allowing the sun to shine upon the city properly for the first time in so many decades. The Stonemen fled from the sight of it, sheltering in the darkest places of the city that they could find, Harry looked at them sorrowfully, he had hoped that maybe they might have died or been released from their curse when the Prince had passed on but it seemed it was not to be.

But another thing became apparent Harry as the fog finally lifted, he felt the tingle of his magic increase in strength as the force that had stopped him from apparating evaporated. Taking a good deep breath Harry smiled and as a test he apparated himself back to his tent. The slight pop was music to his ears and he disappeared from the square and after the familiar sensation of being squeezed through a tube reappeared in the manse he had taken as a base next to his tent.

Relishing his returned abilities he entered the tent and put the now filled trunk he had collected from the last of the manses in with the others before he planned out his activities for the next day, as he would now go to the Palace of Love or Sorrow as it was called by some and see if the Prince was right and that something of this civilisation might have survived there.

 **-x-**

Harry awoke that morning bright and cheerful, emerging from his tent and stowing it in this pack. He was eager to explore the Palace but he was very unsettled by the prospect of crossing the Bridge of Dreams which is where the largest concentration of the Stonemen could be found. He had not seen the bridge properly yet due to the fog being so thick when he came on his boat, so he walked through the city with the only thing keeping the Stonemen from seeing him being the runic band on his arm, he was not sure of what he would find when he got there. The Stonemen continue to mull about, but although this was expected Harry's heart was thundering in his chest at being this close to the diseased people of this city. He did not blame them for their affliction or hate them in any way it was just he knew how dangerous the disease was and did not want to contract it himself.

When he reached the bridge, Harry's trepidation only grew as he saw that not only was the bridge absolutely swarming with Stonemen but more critically it was broken. From the middle to the gates of the palace it was lying in pieces in the river below a rather nasty drop of forty feet, Harry wasn't sure what to do as there was no feasible way he could pass over the bridge to reach the other side. Worse he certainly could not even try to reach the edge without being noticed by the stone men who were bound to touch him accidentally as he tried to sneak through.

The damage was also too extreme for him to use his magic to fix it quickly or try to bridge that gap and gain entry to the palace another way. Then Harry thought about his magic and wondered if he might dare try to apparate across, he could only just see the edge of the gatehouse on the island where the palace sat so he might be able to apparate across but he could not see it very clearly so there was a risk he might miss and reappear in thin air if he got it wrong.

Deciding to take the risk with little choice left Harry felt very much like a diver on the high board of the swimming pool in the other world, he closed his eyes focused on the gatehouse that he could just about see on the other side of the bridge and drew on his magic and disappeared with a pop and reappeared on the other side. Whole and healthy except for feeling slightly shaken and with an immense sense of relief.

Harry turned around and looked at the bridge behind him and saw the Stonemen were still milling about on it, but also the gap behind him and the rather alarming drop into the river below. Taking a step backwards onto more solid ground, Harry then turned to look at the Palace that he had now arrived in.

It was much like the rest of the city, ruined by the invasion hundreds of years ago but unlike the rest of the city moss and creeper had not touched it yet, contained as it was on the island. The buildings were still worn with the elements and no one to maintain them but they had stood up incredibly well Harry realised with awe, the clear white stone now faded and the walkways slightly broken but otherwise it was still an incredible sight.

It was enormous the sheer size of the palace was at least ten times that of Highgarden which was said to be as big as the Red Keep in Kings Landing, with many of its buildings still intact. He walked through the gatehouse and into the palace grounds coming after a considerable walk to the main building's large and imposing doorway which made him seem like an ant in comparison although the wood had fallen away burned probably by dragon fire. He walked into the entrance hall that was unfortunately stripped probably when the city had been sacked. Harry suppressed his disappointment and began to explore the enormous structure and discovered many of the guest bedrooms would have been lavishly appointed and that day however they too had fallen into disrepair or been looted but still there were many other rooms to explore he thought hopefully, the armoury was full of steel weapons which had unfortunately rusted and the great hall which must have been big enough to put an entire war galley in not been touched with many of the gold cutlery and plates still on the table which was made from marble rather than wood.

Harry pulled the empty shrunken chest from his pocket with excitement as it became clear that there might still be something worthwhile here to find. He began searching for anything that might be worth collecting, starting with the golden cutlery and plates which he scooped into his chest with a summoning spell. Heading down into the storage areas found little that was worth taking that but as he reached the private apartments he began to discover more worthwhile items.

The elaborate woodwork and silks had like in the rest of the city become worthless with age and neglect but some glassworks and statuettes remained intact to be collected. However aside from that Harry could not find that much as it had been somewhat looted during the invasion, even the large treasury room was empty. Then he finally arrived at the Prince's private wing of the palace.

Unlike the rest of the palace these doors were made of wood that had not rotted and the runes carved in wood which might have been mistaken for simple artistry by a layman revealed why. Magic hummed pleasantly around them and Harry would almost have put his hand up to touch it had he not realised that it would probably hurt him with some sort of booby trap. Security given the importance of who had once resided within those rooms, Harry almost slapped himself for getting so carried away that he would miss the obvious.

So he carefully reached out his hand and channelled his magic into his ring and slowly began to one by one disarm the security measures on the door which had managed to keep the invaders out, long enough for the city to be flooded by the Prince. They were very strong he noted sweat forming his brow as the runes resisted him every step of the way and the strain of his efforts began to tell with a nasty headache forming as concentration required was immense. Built to last he thought with mirth smiling as he refused to give in despite the headache and slowly each of the runes that guarded the door began to fall one by one until finally with an almost theatrical sigh of relief Harry felt the last of them break and he eagerly pushed open the door.

 **-x-**

Whatever Harry had been expecting was immediately blown out of the water when he stepped inside the corridor. The walls and floors of the corridor were both lined with the same magnificent marble that he had discovered in Ar Noy complete with the golden inlay. Portraits still as magnificent as the day they had been painted lined the walls with elegant glassworks and ceramic statuettes on plinths. A pleasant smell wafted through the air, reminding Harry of the roses that he had smelt when he still lived at his family's home. He walked along the floor almost slipping in his haste to discover what else might be here, coming to first door which had been left ajar. He looked through and saw what appeared to be a private garden built entirely indoors with flowers still blooming in a controlled environment maintained and preserved by the rune stones around them. The garden was magnificent with its colourful array of flowers and plants and decorated with fountains, arches, columns and statues all no doubt made by the finest craftsmen of their day as big as the great hall he had just come from.

Harry walked through looking up to see that the ceiling itself was styled to look like a summer's day. He had seen such magic in his opposite's memories but he had never believed he might actually see such enchanted ceilings for himself since his opposite had never learned the magic to do it. Reluctantly he left the garden and moved across the hallway almost slipping into the next room which had a private swimming pool again furnished in marble with runic taps to create constant warm and cold water when required.

It was almost tempted for a moment to take a dip given that he was sure that he smelled very bad having not had the chance to take a bath in a few days. But for the moment he continued to explore the wing of the Prince, although as he came to a staircase decorated with statues that spiralled up further Harry began to think that perhaps calling this place a private wing might be more an injustice given how big everything was; the swimming pool alone must have been as wide as the River Mander with just as much across.

He left the pool and started up the stairs, his legs protesting they kept climbing to the next floor where his heart sang at the sight of a private library that would have given the maesters a heart attack. There must be Harry realised as he looked around with wide eyes, be hundreds and hundreds of books lining its shelves most of them in the tongue of the city. He even noticed some of the books were emblazed with Valyrian words.

They must have come from when the city had once traded with the Valyrian Freehold. If need be Harry would summon someone from the dead possibly a scholar who could teach him the Chroyane language. A Valyrian would be ironic he thought, given they had destroyed the city and then teach him to keep some part of it alive.

He explored further and became even more excited when he saw that some of the books looked like they might be on the water magic and potions of the city, even alchemy which was subject he had never been able to study never knowing the names of anyone who knew the subject at least in this world. Beyond the library was a private potion lab which was complete with cauldrons and all the implements required to make nearly any kind of potion you wanted not to mention stored ingredients, preserved in stasis for use as good now he thought as the day when they had been first harvested. There were even seed pods so you could grow the plants needed for potions and some of the exotic flowers he had seen in the private garden.

Some of the species of plant were extinct now Harry thought so perhaps he might be able to reintroduce those species back into the world. There was so many opportunities to learn and do that Harry could barely contain himself.

Venturing further up the spiralling staircase that reminded him of the Astronomy Tower in Hogwarts, Harry was eager to see what else they might be up here after the potions lab, a massive library containing so much lost knowledge and a garden with magnificent artwork to decorate it. It had already exceeded everything he dreamed of but the greatest finds he would discover belonged at the top of the private wing.

The next level contained the private treasury of the Prince himself which was a large room filled with gold, the Valyrians would have given their souls to get their hands on this much gold Harry thought with astonishment. Deciding to come back and collect it later and continued on up the staircase.

The solar of the Prince was just as magnificently turned out as the rest of his wing but aside from the documents and books it housed his private collection which of course interested Harry no end. Even more intriguing was the big vault that would have looked completely at home in a bank, made of fine steel with a complex locking mechanism. After seeing all the gold on the floor below Harry could only guess at what the Prince would have considered important enough to warrant such a vault, he barely managed to stop himself opening the vault straight away as he knew that he had much to do before he could risk doing so.

He would first have to check out the rest of the wing and collect anything that was worth salvaging from here which considering how much there was would be a significant feat on its own he realised and liable to take a couple of days. Where it not for the various boxes around the room which Harry could modify to be expanded chests he would probably not have enough in his tent to carry it all.

Well Harry thought he would have to start somewhere and decided here would be as good as any Harry set up his tent. He could he realised have used the large bed of the prince but caution made him reconsider. Better in the safety of his tent he thought as he entered the tent and grabbed another two empty chests while still carrying the half full one from earlier so he could begin to look properly through the Prince's private collection.

 **-x-**

A day later Harry was sitting on a comfortable leather chair still pouring through the books in the library, astonished to find so much knowledge after seeing the devastation in the city. So little knowledge of the Rhoynar civilisation had survived other than what Nymeria and her fleet of ships had brought over when they fled in the face of the Valyrian attack and most of that were mere legends passed down by word of mouth and corrupted by time and politics. These Harry thought with glee chronicled their civilisation from its infancy up till its end, the maesters would kill for all this knowledge Harry thought with a smile and he might be able to use this as leverage against them one day. Another interesting thing Harry had discovered was that some of the books and scrolls in the libraries came from Westeros originally. Harry was quite surprised at them being here when as far as he had been taught the various kingdoms of Westeros had never had any contact with the Rhoynar before Nymeria and her people came but as far as he could piece together cities like Chroyane had actually traded with Westeros centuries ago. It was a piece of history lost until now Harry thought with a smile knowing the maesters would be debating it for years.

But while he made many discoveries in the library below, it was in the Prince's private collection that he had discovered that most intriguing information. Valuables tomes and scrolls thought lost forever could be found there, such as _**Against the Unnatural**_ which had been written by a Maester with apparent proof that dragons had existed in Westeros before the rise of Valyria whatever the Freehold had claimed about making them with magic.

Then there was _**Blood and Fire**_ which contained information on how to breed dragons to make them stronger and larger than normal, as well as hints on training them in a rather barbaric way that Harry found distasteful but could well come in handy if he ever found out how to hatch his own dragon egg. Images of him flying on the back of a magnificent dragon brought a great thrill of anticipation and he vowed to find out someday how to hatch his egg but regretfully the knowledge was not contained within the book. In fact Harry remembered he had the one of only two copies in the world with the other being in the vaults of the Citadel back in Oldtown.

Other valuable tomes and scrolls like the _**Summer and Winter Annals**_ which detailed the history and culture of the destroyed Kingdom of Sarnor which elsewhere only existed in fragments, _**The Jade Compendium**_ which spoke of the various legends of Essos and had much information on the history its cities and the _**Reckoning of Time**_ which detailed how different cultures perceived time. All were rare but the last two that really caught his eye.

The _**Engines of War**_ , a scroll detailing how to build devastating siege equipment and weapons of war like longer range trebuchet or more powerful ballista for use against enemy soldiers. The only complete version was held in Winterfell except for the one in his hand. And _**The Fire of the Freehold**_ containing the most detailed account of the history of the Valyrian Freehold up until the destruction of Chroyane. The Citadel's copy was missing twenty seven scrolls that made up the set while Harry had the full thing. He would deeply enjoy reading it in detail later.

But the books on water magic and runes interested him the most. He had never believed that so much magical knowledge could still exist in a world that seemed to have so little of it and it was not just magic itself he thought with glee. Many books on different kinds of potions and alchemy could be found here, they had a potion for almost every single ailment or contingency and he had come to very disturbing theory as to why the Valyrians might have destroyed this place.

Jealousy.

He had heard that the Valyrians had magic and in fact that all magic might as well have died with them but despite that not being true obviously thought to himself thinking of his own powers the Valyrians seemed to attack any other culture that had magic of its own. Anything that survived they took and made their own, after all there was no reason for the Dragon Lords to attack the Rhoynar people they had traded with for so many years and always been at peace with, Valyrian had instigated those wars for no good reason. Perhaps Harry wondered they might have feared the magic of the Rhoynar would challenge them one day and decided to destroy it before that could happen rather than take the chance.

But he thought with deadly seriousness if that was the case it made the Dragon Lords a very selfish, fear driven and prideful people. Harry was no longer sure what to think and found he could not judge as he had never been there to see it for himself, but the knowledge of potions would sit him in good stead in the future as not only had the Prince preserved all the knowledge of how to make the potions, he'd also stored most of the ingredients required as well as the means to make more and a few preserved ones in bottles that could be useful to Harry now. This alone Harry realised would give him a major advantage along with the water magic once he had learned to control it, he had not done any experiment so far but he was confident that time he could learn.

 **-x-**

It took almost four days of hard work for him to clear out the garden, library, treasury, potion lab and the Prince's private collection. They were all stored in the chests kept in his tent's storage area and contained a vast array of treasure shrunken to fit as much into the chests as possible; ornate fountains, crockery, arches, elaborately carved wooden doors, murals, statues, columns, books, scrolls, gold, antiques, precious stones, seed pods, potions equipment/ingredients and much of the precious artwork that had lined the walls. All in all it would be enough to make Harry a very rich man if he ever decided to part with it, but the only thing left to do was the thing made Harry the most nervous.

The Prince's vault.

He knew the combination to open it because the Prince himself had told him but he did not know what to expect inside it. The quality of knowledge and value of everything outside all made Harry wonder what the Prince could have thought be so important to warrant the protection of such a vault over everything else. Given that the people who had built it had mastered space expansion runes as he had, there was no telling how much might be inside and if it was dangerous it might mean the vault was meant to contain something rather than protect it, making Harry nervous about opening the Vault.

So on the fifth day Harry finally managed to get up the courage to open the vault. He stepped into the Prince's private solar, now looking as far bleaker with most of the fine artwork and books removed and carefully put the combination into the lock not bothering with magic this time as he had combination so he would not need it.

The Prince had not been lying it seems Harry realised with an apprehensive smile as the vault door clicked open naturally, but what he saw inside both confused and intrigued him.

He looked inside to see a massive long corridor, along the walls where racks that held small glass vials all of which contained a sort of smoky silvery substance. At the end was a very strange looking bowl on a plinth. As he cautiously made his way inside Harry looked around and felt there was something familiar about these things but not necessarily from his life. Maybe his alternate self-had seen something similar but it wasn't until he came to the bowl at the end of the very long corridor that he realised just what it was.

A pensieve, a genuine pensieve.

Harry could not believe his eyes, just what the bowl in front of him was and more importantly just what the silvery smoke or liquid were. Preserved memories spread out over what Harry thought could be hundreds of years as some of them were dated in small brass plaques underneath. He grabbed one and poured it into the bowl and the liquid quickly filled it. Harry with the recklessness of youth did not even hesitate to put his head into the substance and fell head forward into the memory.

The next thing Harry knew he was falling onto wet earth and very quickly got up to his feet looking around to discover just where he was. He noticed that he was in a very small village on a sunny day by a familiar looking river. Harry had no idea where or when he was but the look of people around it told him that this was a Rhoynar settlement. The people slim with olive coloured skin and dark eyes.

There were many people going about their daily jobs and acting as if Harry were not there which of course he realised he wasn't given this had happened a long time ago and he was seeing only a recording of it.

One thing that did stand out to him however was a gathering down by the water where an old woman in a very strange looking costume made largely of reeds much to Harry's surprise as everyone else was wearing cotton. She was making some very elaborate almost martial arts like moves or maybe Tai Chi like with water snaking its way around her arms as she moved before a bunch of eager students who sat on the bank watching her. Harry eagerly joined lesson, listening to her every word.

"If you want to use the water." The woman in reeds said. "Then you have to feel its flow, as the moon pushes and pulls the water you must move with its flow. Feel the energy as it moves through your body, learn to guide it and the water will follow. This has been our way for many generations and will continue to be our way for many generations to come. This is Chroyane and it may not always be this simple village but this is our way and you must learn. This is the first lesson, you must master this before you can begin to learn our more complicated and powerful abilities."

With a sudden jerk Harry then found himself back outside the pensieve with the memory apparently over. He carefully gathered the preserved memory back into its container and restored it to its place on the wall. It was very clear to him that this was a detailed library of sorts containing not books but memories from different people throughout the city's existence. At least from the Prince's family at any rate. The ability to store memories was now open to Harry but this he realised with awe was genuinely priceless. Actual recorded memories of the city from its beginning to the end, from the perspective of the people that had lived it, that was truly priceless and worth the trip here on its own.

He would carefully take and store the memories and the pensieve to examine them in more detail later and to preserve them for the future. If nothing else things like this should never be forgotten but he also realised it would aid him if any of the memories taught him to wield water magic.

 **-x-**

Two days later Harry took one last look back at the city from a nearby bank, deciding to simply leave the Stonemen to their way. There were too many to fight and without the fog would be far easier for people to see them if they dared come up this far.

He had never known a bounty like the one he'd just received from the Prince and the salvage from the city. He now had more wealth than he knew what to do with, he was now richer than nearly any other lord in the Reach certainly except his own family and the Hightowers. His thoughts against his will slipped backwards briefly to the faceless man that he had met in Braavos and what he had said about the future or rather his personal future which brought brief frown to Harry's face.

The words of the faceless man seemed to be coming true but despite the devastation he had seen in his travels along the river and even before that he did not want to rule. He had been spared that by being the second son. Although Loras had many times boasted of his firstborn status to him, Harry had never envied him as it meant he had the freedom to make his own decisions and determine where his life went whereas his brother would be forever tied to Highgarden, be forced to marry and one day rule no doubt with Margaery looking over his shoulder as his grandmother had done for his father. Despite the odd chance that something might happen to Loras which given his family's tendency to play it safe was rather slim Harry was in no danger of taking his place unless of course Loras decided for some strange reason to join the night watch or become a septon or a maester which of course his grandmother and father would never allow.

Harry now on his horse Storm's back turned away from the ruined city and rode southwards towards the coast putting aside his thoughts on the future for the moment as for now he controlled his life's path, if you could avoid that prediction if true for as long as possible then he would. Whatever the man had said he decided his destiny and if fate came calling he would do his best to avoid it. Storm made a noise intended to comfort him which Harry sensed through the bond he had established with his horse and now smiling again they rode southwards along the riverbank. Harry did his best to put his worries behind like the city he was leaving and concentrate on his next destination.

* * *

 _ **Coastal Port, two days later…**_

The signs of civilisation sent Harry's heart soaring after being trapped in the dark and terrifying forest for longer than he cared to admit, the fact that it was a port only made things better as his eyes were drawn to the ships that were in dock and his mind spun with all the destinations that they might have.

Harry rode straightforward almost urging Storm into a gallop to reach it sooner and Orion flew overhead, taking the runic band off his wrist and putting it in the pouch at his side for the moment, hoping he would not need it again for a long time. People looked up as he rode into the town eying him suspiciously but Harry did not care a jot, taking comfort at being amongst people again; funny, nasty, irritating, brilliant people. The sights and smells of the town as bad as they were did not matter, he was just glad to at last be out of that infernal jungle.

He arrived in the dock quickly as it was only a small settlement, largely a fishing village that was also used by larger ships to stop off and resupply on long journeys. Going to the first ship he could find, he leapt from his horse and made a beeline for the captain, who looked up at the stranger walking towards him and frowned as Harry stood right up close with a beaming smile on his face.

"Good morning Captain or is this afternoon I have honestly lost track." Harry said still beaming from ear to ear at the sight of another human being and eagerly asked him. "If I may be so bold what port does your ship sail for?"

The captain did not answer for a moment, he surprised by the young man's exuberance especially as a bloodhawk then landed on the young man's shoulders but his wits soon returned and he answered wondering if the young man wanted passage or was wrong in the head.

"We sale for Qarth in twenty minutes. If there is cargo you wish to take or if you want passage you must be quick." The captain asked and Harry only laughed before answering.

"Yes good captain I only wish to see if you will grant passage to Qarth for me, my hawk and my horse. I can pay for it if that is what you're worried about and I have no qualms about working for you for the duration of my passage. So will you permit me to board captain?" Harry looked expectantly at the captain who was for a moment unsure of whether he should allow this young man on his ship as he seemed rather not right in the head with his unusual exuberance. Looking almost he thought like you would either burst into song or give him a hug at any moment. But he had little cargo to make the passage worth it so passengers would be welcome addition to his profits the captain decided and so with some slight reservations he stepped aside to allow Harry to board.

"Excellent captain I hope our voyage shall be a pleasant one, by the way my name is Harry. Harry Tyrell." And Harry almost ran up the gangplank pulling Orion up by his reins, eager to see the sights of the famous city of Qarth and what new things he might discover there.

* * *

 _Hope you enjoyed it. Please review and let me know what you think._


	6. Chapter 6 Shadow Wars

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _Thank you to all of you for your support so far, it has been great to hear from all of you._

 _I have one question, a couple of reviewers have asked if Harry can run into Euron Greyjoy and while that was not what I planned it did get me thinking. So I would love to get more people's opinions on this, I will set up a poll so if you want to have your say just vote or PM. And quite a few of you have asked if Harry will visit Valyria, the answer is…yes and soon._

 _One reviewer claimed Harry was just seeking power ups, I will not deny there has been a bit of that but the purpose of the journey is to make him ready for the future._

 **Chapter 6 – Shadow Wars**

 _ **The Sunset Sea, early morning…**_

Harry was enjoying the fresh morning air as the ship neared its destination, the ancient city of Qarth. Harry had heard of the old and wealthy city for years and longed to visit it and finally he thought with glee he would get the chance.

But it would be a few hours yet before they docked so Harry instead took a few calming breaths and sat down on the bow of the ship, crossed legged and sank into a meditative state. Meditation he had learned from his study of the water magic books recovered in Chroyane was required in the beginning so you could feel the flow of energy in the body, an essential part of water magic and later could assist in replenishing your magical reserves after using your powers. He was making progress and was starting to feel the flow of energy around his body. It was amazing he thought, seeing it racing along the nerves of his body.

But the more he learnt the less he seemed to understand about magic, he had the skills and knowledge of his alternate self but that just told him what he could do with magic, not where it came from or how he could make the most use of it. Now he was starting to see more of its nature rather than its application and from that how he could use it more effectively but still he did not know where it came from or why there was so little of it in the world now.

But as he looked ahead of him, he saw the large and busy port of Qarth coming into view. Knowing they would be docking soon he got to his feet and except for some soreness from sitting on the hard deck for so long he was excited and rushed to his cabin to get ready. It was going to be a busy day.

* * *

 _ **Qarth…**_

The only city he had seen with such a busy port was Braavos Harry thought with amazement, being the major port between the east and the west meant ships had to dock here while sailing between the two. Harry smiled seeing the sheer vibrancy of the port but frowned when he saw the port authority coming towards them remembering why some merchants preferred to take the longer route through Qohor than dock here.

The slimy port official looked expectantly at the captain who sighed before handing over a large pouch of coins that presumably was the exhaustive docking fee. Harry then felt the official's eyes turn to him and smile that oily smile. Knowing what was coming Harry walked over the official deciding just to get it over with.

"If you wish to enter our great city, you must pay the toll and state your reason for visiting." The Official said with the same nasty smile and Harry honestly felt his skin crawl, his earlier good mood quickly evaporating. He looked into the surface thoughts of the official and while reporting the reason for his visit was correct procedure the toll was not. Just a way for the official to skim a little off the top from gullible travellers. Harry felt a nasty smile appearing on his own face as he decided to call the man out on it.

"I will play my toll to the Harbour Master and tell him of your 'loyal' service. I am sure he will be grateful to see his men doing their utmost to encourage trade. The city's lifeblood." Harry said slowly, his smile only growing wider as the official grew nervous and the captain who had looked annoyed now had a slight grin on his face.

"I am sure he would be delighted to see you but his time is limited as is mine. Please just tell my scribe your name and the reason for your visit and I will trouble you no further." The official said quickly gesturing for a lurking scribe to come forward and take his details.

"Harry Tyrell, just visiting the city." Harry said seeing no reason to lie after all no one here knew him.

A statement that would come back to haunt him as when the scribe later filed away the declaration, it was quickly read by a clerk who secreted it away to his unknown employer.

 **-x-**

Harry was blissfully unaware of his arrival being noteworthy to someone as he toured the city that might well be the most ostentatious he had ever seen, not even Qohor or Braavos could compare.

The port for example, it must have been one of the busiest and most colourful he had ever seen with so many ships of different nations filling its great stone quays it must be a logistical nightmare to keep track of them all. A vast complex of warehouses, inns, brothels, gambling den and temples serviced all of the ships and men that came here and must Harry thought be very rich with all the business the sailors brought.

But things did not become less impressive as he entered the city proper; the three great walls standing fifty, forty and thirty feet high respectively. But Harry did think the elaborate carvings and murals of animals, war and lovemaking on them was a bit ridiculous, walls were supposed to be for defence not showing off at least in his mind but still they were an impressive sight.

That theme of decorating buildings did not lessen as he rode around on Storm. A bronze arch that had been shaped like two snakes mating with their scales made with flakes of lapis lazuli, dragonglass and jade. Every square had ornate fountains styled after dragons, griffins and manticores. Balconies that stood out from colourful buildings were nice to look at although delicate and frail.

The Great Arcade was a particular sight he wanted to see having heard about it from the Maesters. Heroes of the city's past were celebrated here with enormous statues on columns made of marble coloured green and white, Harry noticed that many of them were centuries old which was unsurprising since the city had not fought a war for at least that long.

But as he walked down the street, despite the gloriously designed buildings around him Harry felt…unnerved. His magic felt strange, not as strong as it was normally and there was an aura in the air that felt wrong. Perhaps Harry thought the best way to describe it was if it were a smell then it would be like rotting flesh in the burning sun. Foul was the word Harry would use to describe it, he would have been grateful to feel actual magic but this magic felt wrong to him and he almost considered leaving but he shook himself and carried on, determined to enjoy himself and see more of the city.

Palaces that belonged the city's richest men the size of market towns filled the city but Harry ignored them and headed into the city's largest single building; the bazaar where stalls and shops spread as far as the eye could see, selling their wares and adding to the city's already considerable wealth. Actual trees and flowers decorated the vast space and Harry was glad to wander around and explore.

He passed one stall and saw a very beautiful and delicate rose styled necklace with tiny emeralds in the roses. It practically screamed Tyrell he thought and wondered to himself whether he should get it as a present for his sister Margaery, a girl he had not seen since he was six years old and it would be a few more before he finally got to meet his little sister properly a fact that did depress him slightly. Letters exchanged between him and his grandmother before he had left Oldtown indicated she was growing to be a very beautiful flower indeed and grandmother had called her intelligence…promising which for Olenna was a big compliment.

He turned to the vendor and exchanged a few gold coins for the necklace and went about looking around for other gifts he could give to his family and friends when he saw them next. Soon he had bought a bolt of green silk decorated with gold patterns, again for his sister while picking up a beautifully crafted walking stick which had carved vines for decoration for his grandmother. She usually used one although she did not need it as part of her image as a stubborn old woman but the stick he had purchased for her had a surprise which she might enjoy, the handle came away revealing a hidden compartment that could fit a vial of poison, her chosen weapon.

He bought a few more things for other people he had known or was close to like Gunthor before he reluctantly left the bazaar thinking to return tomorrow to finish his exploration. Then just as he was leaving a party of men moved to block his path, Harry stopped and instantly became serious as he sized up the situation.

Ten men, all armed with curved scimitars, wearing leather armour and stood with feet firmly planted on the ground. Trained but not necessarily experienced Harry thought unless they were hired sellswords given Qarth had not fought a war in generations. Still if they were well trained without his magic at full strength he was not sure he could win. With so many people around and the strange feeling of this city he was unsure if he should use it regretting now giving his real name so freely. A man stepped in front more richly dressed than the others, their employer Harry guessed.

"Harry Tyrell." The man said in accented common tongue and Harry just raised his eyebrow while making plans that might even the odds against him. If he could use some of the throwing knives at his belt he could take out three maybe four before they closed on him. Then he would have to rely on _Orphanmaker_ to deal with the remaining six and whatever magic he dared use. The well-dressed Qarthi man spoke again. "I have a proposition for you. Perhaps we might talk."

 **-x-**

A café nearby was the chosen venue, Harry was ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble but the man who had sought him out seemed to be doing his best to put him at ease. Harry knew food and wine could easily be poisoned so he ignored the refreshments put in front of him, staring silently at the man across the table who happily started eating and drinking.

"Are you sure I cannot tempt you?" The man who looked only a few years older than he, with the darker skin and eyes typical of the men in the area. Harry chose not to respond hoping to put the man ill at ease and seemed to be working judging by the tenseness around his eyes. The man rambled and revealed the reasons why he had sought him.

"I heard from a contact of mine in Braavos of your duel there, I hoped that a man willing to take such a chance and change the balance of power in a city would be willing to help me do the same here."

Harry frowned not really thinking he had actually changed the balance of power in Braavos but was impressed that news of his exploits might have reached as far as here as annoying as it was for his anonymity to be compromised. He wanted to travel free of obligations and without being watched, he conceded to himself that he had done a poor job of it so far resolving to perhaps start using false names if he got out of this. Deciding to see exactly what the man across wanted of him, Harry spoke for the first time.

"What do you expect me to do that would change the balance of power in a city? I am but one man." Harry knew he was no spy and so the likelihood was that the man wanted an assassin, if that was what he wanted then he was going to be sorely disappointed. He only killed when absolutely necessary, not on command or for money.

"There are a number of factions that vie for power here in Qarth." The man said thinking Harry was interested. "My name is Xander Pythoras, representative of the Tourmaline Brotherhood. Myself and my father, our leader hope to undermine our rivals; the Pureborn, the Thirteen, the Ancient Guild of Spicers and the Warlocks to make the brotherhood dominant here in Qarth. The constant fighting has gone on long enough and I want you help to undermine them."

Harry frowned not wanting to become involved in such a power struggle but the mention of Warlocks reminded him of the legend he had only heard in passing. The ancient magic wielders of Qarth that were rumoured to live forever and wield the most darkness of powers and it honestly made Harry wonder if they might be the reason for the magic around here feeling so…corrupted. He wondered if he should accept Xander's proposal, he could not sense any deception from him as thankfully that part of his magic was still working as it should.

"Why should I get involved in your struggle? How do I know it would be best for Qarth?" He asked wondering what enticements he would throw his way.

"I would pay you handsomely for your service, all in goods that you could trade for great wealth so there is no evidence of our connection." Xander told him which made Harry realise how much they wanted no connection to him in case he was caught. Plausible deniability, classic Harry thought and then there was the wealth he was being promised. With the riches he had acquired in Chroyane he did not need their pay but there was something he could use from them and they would not even realise the significance. The money would just be a bonus.

"I might be willing to accept your terms but with two conditions." Harry said without expression making Xander look both confused and nervous. "I will not kill people for you and in addition to the pay you promise, I want all the information you can acquire about the Warlocks. I have business with them." Harry said not elaborating any further.

Xander felt relieved that the conditions were not unreachable although he was confused, why would anyone seek out the Warlocks unless they wanted to die? He nodded in agreement anyway, shaking hands to mark the settling of their deal. Tonight no man would have to do anything…tomorrow the work would begin.

* * *

Harry settled on the bed of the inn where he was staying while eating his breakfast, his tent's runes and wards were still working fine but the security was not absolute if these warlocks came. So he would not reveal his hand or tent just yet and do the work Xander asked of him until he had more of an idea of just what he was dealing with.

A knock at the door brought his attention towards the exit and then a letter was shoved underneath it. Footsteps quickly echoed as the messenger departed, Harry got to his feet and opened the letter.

 _The Thirteen are an alliance of traders that control a combined fleet of a thousand ships._

 _Your mission is to tear their union apart._

 _Xaro Xhoan Daxos is their leader, find a weakness in his organisation._

 _Also they hold a dossier of blackmail material they use to extort clients for their own gain. Retrieve it if possible, destroy it if necessary._

 _X.P._

Harry reread the note, committing the words to memory before throwing it in the fire. He made sure it had burnt to nothing before planning his first move. He was not sure if notice-me-not charms would work in this city, they at best might fail at unexpected moments so he would have to use normal guile and stealth. So to start with he would find information on this Xaro Xhoan Daxos and there was one place he was sure to find it.

 **-x-**

The brothels, bazaar and gambling dens of the city teamed with people and hardly anyone noticed one foreign man that was asking questions about the Thirteen and their leader, reliable information was difficult to find but it came eventually.

The man owned a large palace that was one of the largest in the city with much wealth on display, he desired to become the King of Qarth. He also claimed to have an unbreakable vault that housed his wealth and had many thieves try to break in to prove its strength, the vault's toughness was fact at least as some of the thieves could be found around the city and they had given him a rough layout of the palace and its grounds with a few drinks or coins as incentive.

Harry however had found one piece of information that was in contrast to Xaro's image. He was sitting with a disgruntled captain who was only too happy to complain that Xaro had not paid him for cargo he had brought over. While it could be a simple case of greed Harry conceded it did connect with some other merchants and suppliers around the city that claimed Xaro had not paid them for their wares, at least not properly. The prices were small compared to what he supposedly had so why not pay and be rid of that annoyance Harry thought, thinking that Xaro might not be as wealthy as he claimed.

Perhaps this might be a clink in his armour Harry thought and decided he should visit the palace of the wannabe king and see what the truth could be. It would not be easy Harry thought later as he watched the guards at a distance but there were gaps he might exploit under the cover of darkness. He smiled and went back to the bazaar, there were a few things he would need before nightfall.

 **-x-**

The moon cast long shadows over the city as Harry moved from shadow to shadow until he reached the perimeter wall of the palace. He had looked for another entrance but they were all covered by guards so he had chosen to scale one of the walls in one of the spots where guards were few and far between. Harry carefully judged the distance to the top of the wall and threw his grabbling hook up and over the top of the twenty foot wall. The hook caught hold of the top and Harry gave it a firm pull to ensure it was secure before starting the climb.

His hands burned as he pulled himself up the rough rope but it was worth it as he arrived at the top and scrambled over the wall, looking around to check there were no guards around before picking up his grappling hook and rope and sneaking inside, pulling a mask and hood over his face to obscure his identity just in case any guards saw him.

The servants were largely asleep at this hour of the night which was a part of his plan, letting him move unhindered around the palace with the exception of an occasional guard not that there were many of them another point worth investigating.

He managed to find the personal rooms of Xaro Xhoan Daxos and the man was much as he had been described; dark skinned with a pot belly and his dark hair cut short but Harry did not care what he looked like, he only wanted the key around his neck but he did not dare take it just yet as the man was merely sleeping and would surely wake if he tried. So he pulled a small vial containing a Chroyane sedative from his pouch that he had prepared earlier and carefully poured it in droplets into Xaro's mouth. The man still sleep just swallowed them or licked them from his lips sending him into an even deeper sleep allowing Harry to remove the key without waking him.

Harry smiled now having the elusive key in hand and made his way as quietly and quickly as he could towards the bowels of the palace where the vault was located, wondering what he might find inside.

He put the small disc into the mechanism and turned it, the gears turned more loudly than he would have liked but the large and heavy door soon swung open. He moved the torch he took from the wall nearby to see what was beyond the door, not sure what he expected but what greeted him was a complete surprise.

There was absolutely nothing inside! Nothing at all, no gold, no silver, no documents. Nothing.

Harry honestly could not believe what he was seeing, he had suspected that Xaro might not be as wealthy as he claimed but for this impregnable vault to be completely empty changed everything. He must be using whatever income he did have to maintain the elaborate charade he had seen upstairs when in reality he was nearly or completely bankrupt, this was the evidence he needed to break Xaro as the other members of the Thirteen would never follow him once they knew of his true financial status and could start fighting between themselves over his assets and who would now control their guild. Exactly what Xander had wanted, so Harry closed the vault again and slipped the key into his money pouch before deciding to try and find the blackmail dossier he had been told of. It would be leverage he could hold over them if needed.

But since he did not know where it was, Harry stopped and frowned as he came back to the foot of the stairs as he thought on how he might find it. He knew one spell that could help but without a wand he did not know if it would work, but he thought it was worth trying.

" _Point Me, Blackmail dossier."_

His dragon ring began to glow faintly the moment he said it and with interest Harry waved his arm slowly around and watched the light grow dimmer and brighter as it moved. Realising that the light got brighter in the direction of the dossier, Harry moved up the stairs and down the corridor while occasionally waving his hand around to get another baring on the dossier finally discovering it hidden in the palace's ornate library.

With his mission complete and dawn approaching Harry wasted no time in fleeing the palace, already preparing the letters he would write to the other members of the Thirteen in his head asking to meet about Xaro betraying the Thirteen for his own gain that should get their attention.

 **-x-**

Harry walked out of the inn where the other members had met to hear his information, smiling as he listening to them fighting as he left. They had all been so desperate to rise to the top of the pyramid so to speak that the sight of Xaro's vault key had been all he needed to convince them of his non-existent treasury before they had started to argue about who would take possession of his assets and become the new leader. Factions forming in minutes with all the screaming and posturing of angry and pomposity of politicians, it would be a long time before they regained any kind of cohesion although that was unlikely to include Xaro Xhoan Daxos whose life could now be counted in days before one of the other merchants caught up with him, given all the money they had invested in his schemes which he could not repay.

The Blackmail dossier was still in his possession, it had been rather bland mostly just a few juicy affairs with other men's wives or such things but nothing too malicious, no murders or anything like that. So as he left the building and saw Xander waiting for him on a cart he had no objection to handing it over.

"Excellent work. I knew our confidence in you was not misplaced." Xander said pocketing the dossier with a smile. "Your reward is here." He said showing him several trunks containing his payment. "Saffron, spices, silks and spiced liquor as promised. Sold they will make you a small fortune, as for the other condition you asked for." Xander said handing him a collection of parchment. "That is all the information we could find on the Warlocks for now. My father is trying to find more but doing it discreetly is taking time."

"Thank you and thank your father. The more he can find out the better." Harry said and Xander smiled. Harry decided to turn the conversation to a more personal subject. "Your father set you on this, didn't he?"

Xander looked surprised for a moment before he grimaced and explained.

"My family has been running the Tourmaline Brotherhood for nearly eight generations. My grandfather nearly ran it into the ground with a mix of bad business decisions and obscenely lavish living and my father has spent most of his life rebuilding it back up but we still remain the smallest of the factions here. If I want to take his place some day and take over the Brotherhood then I must prove myself. Hiring you to dismantle our enemies is the first step in my plan to make the Brotherhood the most powerful faction in this city. I…I cannot do this without you." Xander admitted looking lost for a moment as his dreams all hinged on Harry's help, it terrified him how quickly it might all vanish if Harry left or defected to his enemies but it was his only chance to make the Brotherhood the strongest faction in the city.

Harry saw the fear in Xander and sensed it was genuine, this operation really meant a lot to him. Making the Tourmaline Brotherhood stronger and pleasing his father. Harry could not really relate to the former or the latter but at least he knew Xander was being honest with him.

"Harry." He said offering his hand, Xander looked at him for a second before smiling and shaking it.

"Xander. Now, what do you know of the Ancient Guild of Spicers?" Xander asked and Harry nearly sighed, no rest for the wicked.

* * *

The Ancient Guild of Spicers was nearly as old as the Pureborn and clung to their large share of the city's trade. Ruled by old men that had inherited their positions it was impossible to join if you were an outsider which was why many joined the Tourmaline Brotherhood or the Thirteen as in this city the larger guilds crushed anyone who tried to be independent.

Harry and his new friend stood on the corner of one of the many streets looking at a large tower in the distance. Xander turned Harry and said.

"That is tower of the Spicers. It was built by the first members of the Guild when they originally went into business together centuries ago. It was their headquarters when they started but now it's only used as a safe house for important documents and spice samples, it is guarded by a group of Unsullied and what I need is in there. I need documents relating to their trade partners, once I have them we can undercut their prices and then they become our customers and samples of their latest spices would be useful to copy for ourselves. As I have said it is guarded by the Unsullied so they will not under any circumstances let you in and there is no buildings adjacent to jump in from. It is over three hundred feet high so climbing would be out of the question. The documents I want are on the top most part of the tower and the spices are held in the in the centre. If you can get inside and get what we need you will get double the payment you got last time."

"You certainly don't believe in doing anything halfway do you?" Harry asked considering the size and security of the tower. He had no idea how he was going to get inside as there was no way he could risk climbing the tower and with the Unsullied guarding it and his usual magic unreliable he was at a loss on how to gain entry, let alone get out. Biting his lip he realised the only way was going to get inside was to risk using his notice-me-not charms and hope that they did not fail him.

 **-x-**

He decided to go at night again, hoping the darkness would aid him. The Unsullied unfortunately would not move from their assigned positions for anything, the door was big enough things slip through but that was dependent on them not seeing him. So with little trepidation Harry cast that notice-me-not charm and felt the feeling come over him as he waited for it to take effect. Once he was sure it is in place, he carefully crept slowly forward, inching his way with sweat falling slightly from his brow.

He moved slowly around the Unsullied and into the tower breathing sigh of relief once in its atrium.

He looked around and saw it was again a testament to style over substance. Gilded and marble lined with plenty of decoration on display despite the fact that it was no longer a place of business, for one thing that did worry him however was the large winding staircase that went right up into the distance from the centre of the tower. He sighed knowing that this was going to hurt his legs a lot and began slowly climbing up the stairs, deciding to go first for the documents at the top and pick up spices on the way down.

 **-x-**

Despite all his years living in Hightower Harry had never quite got used to the stairs, which admittedly were bigger than the tower he was now in but the price his legs were paying better be worth the reward he was getting this job. Thankfully the charm was holding up so he managed to slip past patrolling guards long enough to get top. Coming into the room where the documents were kept he was surprised at how little there seemed to be, taking a few of the scrolls and bits of parchment aside to look at them and see that they were indeed the contracts he had been sent for for only these went on for years rather than months. The prices the merchants were paying was a lot more than Harry would have thought and would he realise make it much easier for the Brotherhood to undercut the Guild once they had them and other documents included the deeds for a third of their fleet, but as he was picking up the parchment he needed he suddenly felt an unwanted sensation, much to his own horror he realised the notice-me-not charm had failed.

He tried to reapply it but every time it failed so now he was stuck at the top of the tower, with no way down except through a group of ruthless and unquestioning Unsullied. He could try apparating but with the way magic was behaving in this city, he thought it would probably be a very unstable jump and he could easily end up splinching himself.

So with little choice left Harry began to creep down the tower hoping that he could avoid the Unsullied long enough to escape. The top of the tower was thought impregnable so thankfully had no patrols but as he came to the spice store he was forced to duck inside to avoid the patrols that came up the stairs.

He looked around the incredibly smelly room as the smells of all the spices hit his nostrils. He felt a little lightheaded from the sheer strength and mix in the confined space. He managed to see the samples that Xander wanted and with a shrug quickly put them in his pouch but then he was greeted with a sight that he really did not want to see.

Two Unsullied were standing at the door, looking at him in surprise but with deadly looking spears in hand already. They all looked into each other's eyes for a moment before Harry said one word.

"Hello."

That was enough to make the Unsullied charge at him with spears ready, Harry threw a throwing knife at once to try to take them down before he crossed the room but the Unsullied sidestepped the knife without even thinking about it making Harry blink in surprise before he quickly grabbed his sword and he had to deflect the thrusts of the spears as they came at him.

Harry sized up both of his opponents as they circled him, they were non-descript in their leather armour but were completely focused on with no other distraction.

" They looked more like statues than men, without feeling or emotion. Harry was almost feeling pity for them where they not trying to kill him for what these two men must have gone through along with the rest of their kind to make them this unfeeling. But it still meant that he was going to have to fight to these two and win he thought hardening his resolve.

He could try using magic but with the way it was behaving in this city he was not sure which curse he could try, it might easily end up back fire and the effects could be severe. However he was quickly forced to abandon this as he deflected more spear thrusts in his direction and narrowly avoided the tip of one coming within reach of his head. He quickly thrust his sword aiming at their mid sections however the slave soldiers jumped back and before he knew it the other was on him forcing Harry on the defensive. They launched strike after strike and Harry knew he was going to have to risk magic since they were too quick on their feet for his knives or his sword so we decided to try simple spell that hopefully would not be too risky.

"Expelliarmus."

The spell that had saved Harry Potter more than once proved its usefulness as the spears of the Unsullied flew from their hands, it was enough Harry to manage a quick sword strike on one of the Unsullied while throwing a knife with his free hand into the neck of the other. Both men did not make any sounds as they fell to the floor…dead.

Harry with his heart racing did not feel elation over winning only pity for the poor boys they had once been. He quickly collected the knives he had thrown including the one that had missed to leave nothing to trace back to him before he quickly made his way back to the stairs, only avoiding the other patrols by ducking into alcoves and rooms until he finally reached the first floor.

Harry ducked into one last room and shut the door behind him. Thankfully the room was empty and through the window Harry could see the roof of a building adjacent that was just high enough to jump onto with one small problem he noted he could not fit through the window.

He was about considered ducking back down the stairs and somehow try to sneak his way past twenty Unsullied when he suddenly looked at the wall and realised it was not worth the effort. His mask was still in place so no one could see it was him and without anyone seeing his magic he was quite free to use it even if a person saw him casting. So he decided to throw caution to the wind and aimed his ring at the window. He concentrated his energy and chose the spell to use, speaking its name out loud to aid casting.

"Bombarda."

A blast of red energy shot out of the ring and impacted hard against the wall which exploded outward in a shower of dust and debris shocking everyone who saw it and Harry without even waiting to see if it was clear took a running jump from the tower, leaping through the air and landing on the roof the other building. It was more of a tumble and not as graceful as some would have liked but he was at last out of the tower. Knowing that the Unsullied and everyone who would heard the blast would come to investigate he wasted no time quickly getting to his feet and rushing across the rooftops and away from the scene, leaping across the small gaps until he was able to jump to street level and vanish into the alleys.

He was unaware of the gaunt and white face that watched him from afar.

 **-x-**

Xander was not exactly pleased when he met Harry the following morning in the inn that he was staying and chosen to make his base.

"You were supposed to break into the tower. Not nearly bring it down!" The Qarthi merchant son was almost bursting with annoyance and anger at the noisy escape Harry made last night. Harry on the other hand was not bothered at all and only gave a slight shrug before he spoke to explain himself.

"It was either that or fight through twenty Unsullied; but I got all the information you wanted, the Guild's latest spices and I also got the deeds for about a third of their ships. Most of them are run by slaves who would only be only too happy to work for you if you paid them a wage and set them free, increasing the size of your fleet while you undercut your enemy. Worth the trouble I hope?" Harry said pushing the information he had retrieved and the spice bags towards Xander who looked at them and managed to contain his still burning with anger and indignation before taking them. Eventually his anger faded at the prospect of not only increasing their fleet but also stealing some of their competitors' clients. So he called for his men who brought him more chests of the same exotic goods as before.

"Here's your payments as normal, and the last of your assignments might actually put you against the warlocks as well as the Pureborn." Harry looked a bit surprised that Xander's words, and Xander then explained the situation he and his father had discovered. "It seems that the wife of one of the Pureborn has been taken by the warlocks, he is a very influential member and could well be amenable to working with us to take down the other Pureborn. Joining our brotherhood if we can get her back alive and intact. As far as we know she's being held in the House of the Undying."

Harry was silent for a moment, not wanting to conceive of how dangerous this mission was. Not only did they want him to fight against sorcerers of unknown power and intent and not only fight them but do it in their own home was something he had hoped to avoid when asking about them. To say he was walking straight into the Lion's den was understating the situation.

"What else have you uncovered?" Harry asked quietly, weighing up in his head whether or not this was worth the risk. He knew virtually nothing about them or what they could do and really he was only gathering intelligence on them with his request to the Tourmaline Brotherhood not actually planning conflict.

But as Xander was talking, Harry looked over to the corner of the street and saw a vicious looking creature sneering at him beneath a hood. Its skin was completely white with narrow little grey eyes, standing hunched it was shorter than him but with hands that looked more like talons with nails that were far too long and pointed to be normal. He could not identify what his outfit was made of but it was a brown cloth of some kind.

But whatever his eyes could see, his magic instinctively recoiled at the creature's presence. The foul aura if you will that Harry had sensed since arriving in this city seemed to intensify, the creature enjoying his disgust but as quickly as it appeared, the strange creature disappeared as soon as Harry blinked.

He had not met its eyes but the sheer malevolence of the creature he had just seen had echoed in his bones, they were the dark lords of this world or at least some of them and as long as their order existed they would be like a gaping wound that would fester and sicken the city and possibly the world if they learnt to spread their power beyond this place. To remove the threat, he would have to deal with them himself.

"Tell me where to go?" Harry asked Xander who looked at him astonished, never imagining anyone would be so bold to take the Warlocks where they lived.

Or so foolish.

* * *

Harry looked at the so called 'Palace of Dust' or 'House of the Undying' the headquarters of the Warlocks. To call it a palace was a stretch of the imagination as it more resembled a large circular tower with no windows and broken blacks tiles for a roof, surrounded by a small forest of trees that contained certain potion ingredients. Still as Harry got closer to it the sheer strength of magic that was contained within put him back a step. The corruptness of it and the age of it was astonishing and more than a little overwhelming at first, he had never felt the like of it before and was about to turn around and run away, fear gripping him at what might lie inside. He had vials of dittany in a special pouch at his waist just in case but only the gods knew if that would be enough.

But he hardened his resolve, if his opposite could walk towards his own death so the dark lord of that world could be killed then he could face these warlocks and he had no intention of dying today. Not entirely convincing himself that he was not afraid, Harry walked forward his heart pounding in his chest as he arrived at the door which did not make him feel better as it was carved with grotesque images. It opened for him, instantly making him jump back expecting an attack but nothing came however what was inside the tower was not in any way appealing.

The doorway to the outside provided the only illumination, no torches or windows meant it was nearly a void of blackness. The light from the door showed old, crumbling stone work on the walls and floors but nothing beyond that. Harry feeling more and more that this was a bad idea walked over to the nearest tree and snapped off a branch. He transconfigured it into a proper torch and lit it with a quick fire spell, before taking a steadying breath and walking inside the House of the Undying.

The door slammed shut the moment he entered, startling him but now in near complete darkness except for the light of his torch Harry pressed on down the first passage he could find.

The floor was uneven beneath his feet making him stumble occasionally as he navigated the dark and seemingly endless passages. Sometimes he was sure that he heard noises in the darkness, footsteps moving around or laughing which stretched his already stressed nerves to breaking point. Sometimes he would see one of the warlocks appear in front of him then just as he reached for his sword disappear again followed by the sounds of mocking laughter. It began to replace any fear with irritation as he wished he could get his hand on one of their fragile necks and squeeze out whatever life was left in their gaunt bodies. His eyes glaring into the darkness, hoping to convey his hatred as he did not want to waste his breath with words.

Finally just as he was starting to think the passage were truly endless he came to a door. It was old and made of wood with gold square plates. Not sure of what to expect when he stepped through, Harry took a deep breath before rushing through the door with his sword drawn.

But there was no one to fight, much to his ambivalent relief and disappointment. It was however he thanks the gods not another passage but a large circular chamber with several doorways and a plinth in the centre. Harry could swear that he heard different voices coming from the doorways, a couple sounding familiar although he did not know who was speaking.

Thinking the warlocks might be inside Harry crept slowly towards the nearest door and pulled it open slightly so he could see inside and was shocked to see what looked like a great hall with banners he had no seen outside of history books, a white sheet with a green hand on it. The banner of House Gardener, the predecessors to his own family as rulers of Highgarden and the Reach.

Fascinated Harry pushed the door open wider and saw a throne at the end of the hall where a man wearing old style andal clothes was speaking to a knight that kneeled before him. None of the gathered nobles looked at Harry personally and he realised it was a vision of the past as he waved his hand in front of a noble only to be ignored before turning his attention to the king.

"My son, you have done well. I have seen few with your prowess and integrity so henceforth you shall serve as my sworn shield and captain of my personal guard. Arise Ser Alester, first of House Tyrell." The hall filled with the sound of applause as Ser Alester stood with a smile of triumph on his face. Harry was struck dumb for a moment as he was faced with the founder of his house and the son of the Gardener King.

Many houses in the Reach claimed decent from the Gardeners but it had been his family that were given Highgarden by the Targaryens after their conquest when the Gardeners had been wiped out, many houses contested saying they had more of a claim to the castle in particular the Florents but so far none had manage to wrest it from them.

Quickly walking back through the door he had come through Harry found not back in the room with many doors but in a room at Highgarden, only it was someone familiar this time sitting in a room that he recognised. It was his grandmother Olenna looking somewhat younger than he remembered with less wrinkles on her face and her posture was a little straighter but otherwise still recognisable. Harry felt a brief pang in his heart at the sight of his favourite relative, he had not seen her in years and not communicated except for occasional letters and even that was lost now. He wondered if he should send her a letter again when he noticed the younger version of Olenna hand a pouch of what sounded like coins to a guardsman.

"Ensure your men are too distracted to stop him. My husband is easily distracted while hawking, lead him towards the cliffs and his hobby will do the rest. I take it your silence can be counted on?" She asked and the guard nodded causing Harry's expression to change from one of warmth and affection to outright disgust when he realised what Olenna was talking about. The death of his grandfather Lord Luthor Tyrell, he knew that he had ridden off a cliff while hawking but he like many thought it a mere accident. If this vision was true and while he knew he should be careful to believe anything here, it seemed to imply that his grandmother had assassinated her own husband, possibly to control Highgarden better through their son.

He honestly was to shocked to say anything, he had known she was ruthless in her quest for power but this was one line he had never thought she would cross, to actually kill a member of their family…her own husband. Harry decided against his plan to send her a letter, she might be his grandmother but he would never turn his back on her after what he had just seen.

Rushing through the door again he found himself in a dockyard of some sort, it was night and he did not recognise this place, he looked around confused at what he was seeing now.

The night made it nearly impossible to see any familiar landmarks but he looked into the distance at a collection of lights that illuminated a large and powerful looking castle made of what looked like red stone. He had seen illustrations of the Red Keep in his education at Oldtown and it looked nearly identical but that could be to do with the late hour. Still unsettled by his last vision he looked for the door he had come out of when he noticed a considerable number of ale barrels piled up on the side of the quay where a large ship, baring an complex gold pattern on a brown sail. Two men stood on the quay talking, curious Harry walked closer but only managed to capture part of the conversation before it ended. A man in a hood spoke in an effeminate voice but Harry could not see his face.

"The barrels will be sent to the prearranged location until the time is right, you my friend will take our precious cargo to my friend as discussed. Your family is already there as I promised."

The other man however did not look happy to hear that, Harry noticed. He was of Valyrian descent with silver hair and violet eyes and dressed reasonably well but not lavishly so. His face however was thunderous as he looked at his 'friend'.

"You mean prisoners to force my cooperation. Say it for what it is you demon." He snarled and only stopped when two men arrived with a crate with large gaps in the side. He looked at the crate as if concerned for a moment before he swallowed and walked up to plank to aid with the loading of the cargo. As the crate passed him Harry could swear that through the gaps he could see a small figure of a child inside.

Harry was surprised but could not dwell on what he had just seen as the world began to warp around him, showing a beautiful white stone castle by a lake before it warped again into a room in a city of white buildings and black walls. A young woman with long dark hair looked out of the window at the city beyond mournfully while other women who seemed to be her ladies stood behind her, with similar sad expressions.

Finally Harry spotted a door that looked like the one he had come through, desperate to be free of this visionary place he ran for it and pulled the door open, turning briefly to see the gardens of Highgarden in the distance covered by snow and looking completely dead. He stopped and stared in concern before turning to head through the door he had found.

 **-x-**

Instantly Harry found himself in another area of the House of the Undying, a hall where twenty warlocks of various sexes stood around as if waiting for him. Harry was instantly on his guard, his had ready at his swords. He was glad that he had brought both _Orphanmaker_ and the sword he had taken from Strickland. Their weight was comforting as was the throwing knives and dagger he wore.

However the warlocks just smiled, confident he was no threat. They spoke to him as if he were a stupid child with an arrogance that few could match.

"Your actions have unsettled the city, but not to any great extent. If you had the slightest sense you would not have come here but for one as limited as you, it is all you can do." One of the warlocks said with dirty rotten teeth making a disturbing grin as they all laughed, a chill going through Harry as he heard it. But his anger was close to the surface at being spoken too like that but he contained it and asked the one question he needed answering.

"What were those images? Illusions conjured by you to trick me?" Harry asked only for the warlocks to laugh, like he had asked a completely stupid question which only made him narrow his eyes.

"Each vision has meaning to you, be it the distant past of your ancestors or perhaps your future. Not of course that you will leave this place alive." The Warlock said and Harry without hesitation, threw a knife at the warlock's throat only for it to stop in mid-air. Harry was stunned and the warlock sneered before throwing the dagger back at him, making Harry duck sharply to avoid the blade.

Then just as he was about to draw his swords, he was thrown back by a blast of magic from the warlocks and the swords were ripped from their sheaths and flung across the room, Harry could only watch as they flew out of his reach and the warlocks grinned as they closed it. He was about to reach for his dagger when he thought better of it. If his swords and knives could be taken so easily, his dagger would be too which left him without any of his usual weapons which meant he was fucked. The twenty warlocks moved around him, smirking believing their triumph already complete and Harry's mind raced with a way out of this situation and in truth he could only think of one. There was still one weapon he had at his disposal that could not be taken away so easily.

His magic.

It was the only real card he had left to play he thought with worry and it was a wild one too. He had no idea just how skilled or powerful the warlocks were in combative magic and he could easily find himself overwhelmed from sheer numbers alone. But what other choice did he have Harry thought with resignation and tightened his fist, calling on all he had learnt so far.

He held his hand in the air ahead of him and called on as much magic as he could and a certain memory, the day he had started travelling.

"Expecto Patronum"

The laughing of the warlocks stopped as the pure light of the patronus shone so brightly it burned them slightly. They howled out in pain, positive emotion channelled through the right would be like poison to them given how foul their magic was Harry thought, not sure of the shape of his patronus in this world but it did not matter as it did its job. He ended the charm and threw out cutting charms as quickly as he could, the first three warlocks hit had their heads taken clean off their necks before they knew what hit them. Two of the bodies simmered briefly before disappearing and before Harry could think on what he had just seen, the rest of the warlocks began to attack now their vision had recovered.

Blasting and cutting hexes were being flung at him left right and centre, he erected his own shield and threw out fire spells as quickly as he could, hoping to set their robes on fire so he could take advantage. The strain of maintaining his shield was excruciatingly painful as it was pounded by spells but he could not afford to dodge as there were too many spells coming at him, one or more would surely hit. The good thing was that by using fire spells he managed to hit one or two of the warlocks causing them to break off their attack for a split second, allowing Harry to fire blood boiling curses at them. Darker than Harry Potter would have used but it was effective, the warlocks screamed as blood literal ran from every orifice.

But despite hitting a few warlocks there were still too many, finally Harry felt his shield collapse and he moved his head just in time to dodge a purple curse being sent at his head only to be hit by a another opening a gash on the right side of his head, missing his eye by a fraction of an inch. He knew he was bleeding but he could not react and instead began another fire spell, creating a current stream that he could direct around him.

The warlocks caught in the stream of fire screamed as they burned, some disappearing as if smoke but while it cleared many of the remaining warlocks he paid a price for it. Blasting hexes and a few cutting spells hit him sending him flying with gashes here and there but thankfully none would be fatal.

He looked horrible, cuts and bruises everywhere but he was still standing with his breathing quick and shallow, now facing only five of the original twenty warlocks although there was only eight bodies. That was when Harry realised that they were using magic to create duplicates of themselves, he had heard they had the ability to do so from Xander's Intel. It was effective Harry admitted and his body ached with the hits he had taken but it had a flaw, take out the original and the copies would vanish.

That Harry thought with a grim smirk made things a little better but not much as they could still hurt him until then. Seeing the spells of the warlocks coming towards Harry ducked and rolled to avoid them and saw the glint of his swords lying there on the floor just ahead. He grabbed them both and with aching arms rushed at the nearest warlock, the change in tactics caught the warlock completely by surprise and he had no chance to react before Harry severed his head from his shoulders which then rolled across the floor. Another of the warlocks simmered and disappeared from view leaving only three warlocks standing against him, all of which were now looking more angry than confident as they had been a few moments before.

Now there were only three Harry could see their faces and all were identical meaning only one of the warlocks was real. If he got the right one, the other two would disappear but which one was real? He looked between they and they were as someone might have guessed completely identical. He wondered about using another fire spell to try and clear them all when a strange idea entered his head. Surely it would never work but he shrugged, it was worth a try.

"Point me Warlock of Qarth."

The warlock and his two duplicates seemed confused at his words, not understanding what he hoped to achieve until the light appeared from the dragon ring, shining brightest when directed at the warlock on the left.

"Found you." Harry said, smirked as he advanced at the surprised warlock and thrusting both his bloodied swords into the stomach and then pulling them roughly out, leaving a bleeding hole. The warlock gasped and clawed at the air between him and Harry as if trying to get one last blow in but his body, frail with age and lack of muscle collapsed, allowing blood to pool beneath him. Instantly the last two copies simmered then vanished as the man that created them lost his life leaving Harry alone in the chamber.

Harry finally safe fell to his knees as his exhaustion and injuries began to take their toll, he took the vials of dittany he had brought with him and began rubbing it into the skin where he had been cut. None of it was cursed thankfully but as he rubbed the stinging substance into his skin, Harry was angry…at himself.

"Stupid. Stupid!" He cursed as he tended to his wounds. He had just blundered in here and nearly been killed for his hubris…again. He had to be smarter or one day he would not be as lucky as he had been today. His magic had saved him, that and the overconfidence of the warlocks if either had not been in his favour then he would be dead. From this point on he planned ahead, Harry resolved as the dittany worked its magic and sealed the cuts. Rushing in blind was for idiots and he would not be doing it again, he would plan in advance and be ready next time.

A repair charm fixed the tears in his clothes once the dittany was applied and Harry got to his feet, eager to leave this place and burn it to the ground. He was about to leave the way he came when he heard a slight scream in the distance, it was barely audible but it had definitely been a scream. He picked up his swords and cautiously moved to investigate, mindful of his new vow and that there might still be warlocks around. He followed the sound down a long corridor to a similarly gilded door to the one he had seen before and with trepidation and his swords ready, he kicked it open.

What he saw on the other side shocked him, he never imagined someone would do this not even in his worst nightmares.

Thirty children hung by their feet upside down and suspended off the floor over some kind of runic array with an ornate chalice at its centre. Ten of the children had their throats slit, dried blood in the channels towards the chalice, twenty of them were still alive though and screamed when he burst in through the door.

"Help us! Please?" A young boy begged and Harry while stunned momentarily quickly recovered and started cutting the children down, they swayed as the blood flowed down their bodies and needed to sit down till they were steady on their feet again. While they did that Harry carefully let down the bodies of the dead children and moved them to the side where they were out of the living children's sight. Once that grisly task was done Harry knelt down to the oldest living child, a boy that looked like a native of the city and asked him while passing his wineskin filled with water so the children could get a drink.

"What was going on here?" The boy who looked no older than twelve namedays old spoke with fear.

"The warlocks bought us off the slave market, then they brought us here. They cut our friends throats and drained their blood, they put in that cup and drank to live for ever or so they said." The boy said still completely terrified by what he had been forced to witness, his other friends around him looked similarly scared and Harry could only just hold the disgust he was feeling inside so as to not frighten the children any more than they had been already. Now he recognised the runic array, it was meant to transfer energy with the channels in the runes directing the blood of the children into the chalice that Harry could see was meant to hold the gathered energy. The warlocks would then drink the blood and extend their lives for however much energy was drained. Given it was from children possibly it could last for years and Harry almost threw up at the practice. No wonder the magic of the city had felt so foul, this was magic of the darkest kind and little wonder that the warlocks looked so ghastly. That kind of practice took a toll on the body while keeping it alive and Harry was honestly glad he had killed the warlocks.

He lit torches in the room for the children and checked the side doors to see if there was any more being held here. Find none was a relief but he did see a stash of magical items being held in one of the side rooms. He found two dragon carved chests of Valyrian design which he quickly enhanced with a space expansion rune before collecting all the magical items including the chalice to study later before returning to the children with a large hammer he conjured. He stared at the runic array for a moment before he brought the hammer down upon it again and again. The children watched slightly scared as Harry smashed the magical array that would have drained their life energy to keep the decrepit and disgusting warlocks alive. Once finished he put the hammer down and told the children.

"Go through that door." He said indicating the door he had entered through. "I will follow you in a moment."

They looked fearful for a moment but did as he said, so they did not see him vanish the shards of the array and his hammer so they could not be repaired with magic.

Thankfully the children were in good health as the warlocks had kept them healthy to get the most life energy from them and eagerly they followed their saviour up the dark tunnels towards the surface. As they passed through a junction they came across a locked door that Harry opened with his magic carefully so the children did not see. Inside was a well-dressed woman huddled on a bed of straw that looked up at him in surprise.

"Who are you?" She asked, worried it was the warlocks coming to kill her in some insane ritual as they had threatened too. The handsome stranger smiled and she felt her heart flutter for a moment.

"Lady Mallarawan?" Harry asked and she nodded. "I think it best if we return you to your husband."

The lady was instantly on her feet and shocked to find the flock of children with the stranger but followed them regardless until they finally reached the exit.

Everyone was blinking as the sunlight hurt their eyes until they adjusted when they finally emerged into the outside. Harry smiled as some of the children, realising they were free rushed about to play in the trees as children should. Lady Mallarawan was more sedate in her relief at being outside and just enjoyed the feeling of sun on her face as she leaned against the walls of the tower.

Harry meanwhile was dealing with a slight problem, what was he going to do with the children he rescued? He could not in any conscience just abandon them on the street and there were no real orphanages here in Qarth. More than likely they would end up enslaved again if he left them there anyway so what was he going to do with them? However he decided to deal with that later so he let them play for now. They had gone through enough hardship and needed some time to get back the joy stolen from them.

* * *

As darkness fell over the city, Harry called the children together and walked them to the inn where he had made his base and gave the innkeeper some money to make a good meal for the children while Mathos Mallarawan came for his wife. Xander was of course there to offer his terms for an alliance so the Pureborn could be undermined and eventually destroyed. He paid Harry for his work in the usual luxury items that now sat in a trunk in Harry's tent. But while the children ate, Harry stuck a sleeping draft into their broth, he had an idea on what to do with them now. He had thought it up while waiting for Xander to arrive. He cleared his throat after seeing they had drunk their broth to get their attention and told them.

"Tonight we are going on a journey to a fantastic city called Braavos. A place where there are no slaves or warlocks and a giant guards the city from harm." He told slightly exaggerating the colossus to make it exciting. The children cheered, loving the idea of going somewhere new and Harry waited patiently for them all to fall asleep as the broth took affect before carefully putting all of them into one of his expanded trunks. The broth would keep them asleep for hours so he would have plenty of time to make arrangements before they woke.

Once all of them were inside, he took a firm hold of the trunk and turned a fork that was within reach into a portkey.

 **-x-**

 _ **Braavos…**_

While it was night in Qarth it was morning in Braavos when Harry arrived. He took in the familiar smells and sights of his first stop before using a weightless charm on the trunk to lift it through the city towards one of the better orphanages he had seen while here the first time. He came to the large and bland building and smiled before knocking on the door. There was nothing for a while before the door finally opened, revealing an older woman with black hair and blue eyes.

"Can I help you?" She asked looking at the stranger with interest, it was rare that they got visitors to the orphanage. Especially ones this young.

"Good morning. I have a group of children in need of care, twenty or so and I would gladly pay a donation to cover their upkeep and the running of the orphanage. Say a thousand gold pieces" Harry said getting down to business, carefully reading the woman's mind to see if this was the place that he wanted to trust with the children. He could see her interest in the money of course, but not for herself more towards how that kind of money could keep her orphanage going for years. Labour was cheap here and it would be enough to make a lot of improvements around the building and feed the children for years not to mention provide them with a basic education. She was a bit of a mother hen he thought with relief, she would take good care of the children.

"That would be most appreciated young man. If I may ask where are the children in question? I would like to meet them before I accept them." She said wondering if all the money he was paying was due to a problem with them like a disease which she could not risk infecting the other children. Harry smiled and told her.

"I will bring them in a few hours."

 **-x-**

Harry quickly booked into an inn for a night and removed the children from the trunk before they woke up. He sat in the corner waiting while putting the small chest with the money aside for later. He could well afford it, especially with the payment for the Tourmaline Brotherhood which was even now sitting preserved in stasis and it would give the children a good chance of a life free of chains. The magical items he had found were also a boon to him in surprising ways; twelve glass candles that would allow him to observe any location of his choosing once he figured out how to light them, a few cursed objects he would lock away for safe keeping, five dragon rings like his with two ruby chokers that likewise could be used as foci, a runic controlled cauldron, books and scrolls of dark magic that he had locked firmly away and a Weirwood staff. But three of the items in particular caught his attention; one was a broken time turner. The delicate crystal was broken and the sand all gone so effectively it was useless but it proved they existed in this world and he would be on the lookout for more.

Then there was the sacrificial chalice, while tainted by the practice of the warlocks its primary use was to collect energy and store it. Harry was not sure of what use he could make of it yet but he would think of something.

The last thing was a book older than any other he had ever seen; the runes carved into it was the only reason that it had survived.

The book was written in the old tongue of the first men and detailed their alchemy and magic for making fertile land, changing animals and how to make or alter existing plants. It was hard to understand in places as his grasp of the language was not great, he had only given it a passing glance in Oldtown but it was incredibly valuable and once he had learnt to read it properly there was much to learn from it. How it had ended up in Qarth he could not understand but regardless he was glad that it had.

His thoughts then turned back to the children as he saw the boy that had spoken to him in the House of the Undying was starting to stir.

"Good morning. Nice dreams?" Harry asked the boy who smiled as he saw the man that had saved him and his friends from being slaughtered.

"Yes, I dreamt we went on that journey you said. To Braavos." The boy said with a bright smile and Harry now smirking said.

"We did. Have a look out the window." He said pointing to the large window that looked out onto the docks. The boy disbelieved him for a moment before going over the window to prove Harry wrong only to gasp when he saw the very different city beyond. The rest of the children when they awoke excitedly ran to the window to see they had somehow changed cities. The oldest boy looked back to him and Harry only winked while he smiled.

Later when he brought the children to the orphanage and the money to pay for their upkeep, the lady that ran the building was acting like everyone's favourite grandmother. The children gathered around her like a moth to a flame and waved goodbye as they went inside. He waved back, glad that for now at least they had a chance of a good life. His grandmother and others would think him foolish but while politics was a cutthroat game, it did not mean that you had to be cold-hearted all the time. Today those children would start a new life with a roof over their head, food to eat and the prospect of an education where before they might have been sacrificed and all that promise snuffed out before it had the chance to flower or sold into slavery which would be almost as bad. Not only had their lives changed but the lives of the other children in the orphanage that would now have an education too thanks to his donation.

Occasional kindness could change the course of people's lives. It might not change history or propel you to a throne but it was a great thing to see, like throwing a stone in a lake and watching the ripples expand outward. He smiled and took the portkey back to Qarth to continue his travels.

* * *

 _ **Qarth…**_

Pyat Pree watched as the man that he decimated his order sailed away from Qarth on a ship bound for Yi Ti. He was furious, a vision had sent him away from the House of the Undying just before he came and saved his life but what use was that? He asked himself. The runic array and the chalice were gone so he could not prolong his life anymore. His old body was good for a few years yet but soon enough it would it would wear out and he would die. The power of the warlocks was ebbing and would fade to nothing.

He looked to future hoping to see a glimpse that would provide some hope and while his sight was not clear, he saw a girl with three dragons would one day come to Qarth. That he realised be his chance to find a path to power and to survive.

-x-

Elsewhere another magic user watched the ship carrying Harry Tyrell, wearing her customary mask Quaithe was glad to see the warlocks gone. Her own vision was now much clearer with their corruption of the local magic ebbing, he had a destiny she now saw. He would not always be just a traveller as he referred to himself. He would never truly seek power but he would need it she thought seeing all the chaos that was coming, the ripples had already started creating new and unpredictable patterns that she could only just see.

It would be interesting to watch she thought.

* * *

 _Hope you enjoyed the chapter, please let me know what you think._

 _ **Next time Harry will be visiting Yi Ti.**_


	7. Chapter 7 The God Emperor

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _First off thank you again to everyone who is reading this story, I had hoped to get this posted earlier but real life is so busy right now._

 _Since so little is actually known about Yitish culture I have decided to borrow from Chinese and Japanese culture, history and buildings to fill the gaps. I am sorry if I get something wrong, it is not meant as to insult anyone. I also used some of the sayings of Sun Tzu, in case anyone was wondering._

 **Chapter 7 – The God Emperor**

 _ **Yi Ti, Early Morning…**_

In all of his travels Harry had seen many cities and sights, but nothing so far compared to Yi Ti.

The ship came into harbour as the sun peaked over the horizon, casting the great port city of Yin in an ethereal golden light. The docks were already busy as you would expect in any port and while the stone quays where ships docked was not so different as you would find in other ports, the buildings of the city were one of the things that made it stand apart.

Most cities had a variety of buildings, constructed differently as the decades and centuries passed, influenced by new styles or resources. But here in Yin all of the buildings except for the most important were uniform in their design and construction; a wooden frame sported thin stone walls and a sloped tiled roof which was strange enough on its own. Most buildings Harry had seen, even in his own homeland did not have tiled roofs, Braavos did for many of its buildings but many other places just used mortar, thatch or wood as they did on the walls. The interior was divided not by stone walls but a light paper or wooden screens and the outside had guttering to carry away the rain water which Harry had to admit was smart of them, most other people did not bother with such things and had to deal with rain damage in bad weather as a result. It was he discovered also extremely bad form to enter someone's dwelling without removing your shoes, so as to not dirty their home.

Harry was glad he had taken the time to learn Yitish while he was in Oldtown as part of his preparations, according to the people Harry met they had been building them the same way for centuries, explaining the uniformity.

Harry was not sure of sticking to a design form because it was tradition but it was efficient as it kept the houses cool in the really warm and humid climate of Yi Ti. He wandered around the city, his eyes and smile were wide with all the sights and smells around the place, the people looked at him strangely, not used to people from Westeros in their city but thankfully it was not acted on. They merely shrugged and left him be as he explored the city as long as he caused no trouble.

 **-x-**

Harry was impressed at the design of the temples here, made of the same materials as the houses they were painted with bright colours and intricate slated roofs, their walls decorated with colourful and strange pictures. It was interesting in its uniqueness to what he was used too, but Harry was able to admit he liked the city so far. One thing that did strike him in peculiar was the dragons played a large part in their culture, it was the opposite to the Valyrians who used them as weapons of war. The Yitish dragons were long and graceful, growing to incredible sizes in their very long life spans. Unlike the angry and violent reptilian dragons of Valyria, the dragons here were seen almost as gods and revered for their apparent wisdom. Harry wondered if there was any truth in this legend, no dragon in his other life had shown the intelligence beyond that of a wolf or bear maybe. These sky dragons were most definitely outside of his experience, but since they had not been seen for millennia so Harry put it to the back of his mind and looked for some lunch as his stomach growled, finding something in the city's main square.

The food was another thing that was different he though, tucking in to the rice and pasta that formed a good portion of the local diet. Harry did have some trouble with the chopsticks that were used instead of knives, spoons and forks but it did not bother him. This was his dream Harry thought with relish, to see and experience other cultures for himself and see as much as the world had to offer.

The rice for one thing which he gathered could be grown in wet conditions and stored for long periods which would be invaluable in winter back home. The pasta was another foodstuff that he realised could do well in Westeros as all of the ingredients were found there and it was very easy to make. He went to the vender and was going to ask him about purchasing rice seeds, the knowledge to grow them and the recipe for pasta when everyone's eyes were drawn to the town square as the sound of horse hooves echoed through the air.

Men on horseback thundered through and Harry was immediately put on guard, his thoughts jumping to identify them as soldiers. Their armour was different to the style worn in Westeros, made of iron lamellar or hardened leather bonded together in strips to increase its strength with some wearing metal plate probably as a sign of status but the armour and the weapons they carried were enough to confirm his theory. They stopped in the centre of the square and a man at the centre who wore elaborate robes, marking him as some kind of official began to speak from a scroll.

"CITIZENS! THE GOD EMPEROR, WHOSE POWER AND WISDOM KNOW NO LIMITS…HAS DECREEDED THAT THE GREAT SERPENTS WITH A GLARE THAT KILLS IN THE FORESTS MUST BE SLAIN. ALL MEN ARE MUST TAKE UP A WEAPON TO JOIN THE HUNT." The official decreed and Harry looked around in surprise to see all of the men around him drop whatever they were doing and grabbed whatever weapon they could find. Clearly the 'God-Emperor' who Harry knew ruled Yi Ti was never to be questioned although the 'great serpents with a glare that kills' that had been mentioned made Harry nervous, sounding horribly familiar. He could only hope he was wrong.

Then as he turned to leave the square he saw the soldiers who had surrounded the official ride in front of him and Harry turned to face him, getting a very bad feeling about this.

"The God-Emperor said all men are to take up arms!" The Official said reminding Harry of a weasel used to hiding behind bodyguards and being all important. Harry's smile fell from his face as he answered back, replaced by a stern frown.

"I am not a subject of your God-Emperor, I am not of this land. A mere traveller." Harry said not wanting to go anywhere near the serpents if they were what he suspected. The Official however only looked down his nose at Harry and said as though he were the God-Emperor himself.

"All within these lands are subject to his Excellency's will and are his to command."

Harry was starting to get annoyed and would really like to smash the weasel official's face in but a look at the guards changed his mind. He did not want a fight here, he was sure he could win despite the guards on horseback but that would mean he would have to flee the country and he wanted to explore more of Yi Ti, especially to learn if magic and these sky dragons really existed here. So with some trepidation he conceded and asked the official one question.

"As I am not a native of your country, perhaps you could enlighten me on what exactly we are supposed to hunt?"

The official looked affronted at being asked such a question, he was used to being obeyed without question but he decided to humour the foolish outsider that was sure to die.

"Basilisks, the great serpents with a glare that kills and poison that is worse than any other."

Harry's heart sank as he heard the name, memories of the great snake his opposite had faced in the Chamber of Secrets.

* * *

 _ **Two Days later…**_

Harry was sitting in his tent, amongst the camp of hunters as they prepared to enter the jungles in search of the basilisks. Well to call the men hunters was misleading to say the least Harry thought, they were just ordinary men who had no experience at hunting or even any idea of how to deal with basilisks.

Lambs to the slaughter Harry thought grimly and listening to the whispers around camp, he knew why the supposed 'God-Emperor' had ordered it. While loyal to their ruler, the men still talked amongst themselves about him and those whispers had told Harry all he needed to know.

The God-Emperor was mad.

Completely Insane.

The mad ruler had somehow gotten it into his head that the peasants were growing too bold and numerous and therefore must be plotting against him. So he had decided to use the Basilisks to cull them and that was not the only thing either. Many elaborate building projects would be started and then cancelled as his fancies came and went. Public executions for no real reason other than his amusement, the list went on. Harry was too young to remember the reign of the Mad King properly as it had never hurt him or his house but it sounded like Yi Ti had a similar problem as Westeros back then except for one key difference, the God-Emperor was worse than Aerys had ever been.

Any son born to him that showed enough a modicum of intelligence and cunning was deemed a threat and killed publically on his order, then the other sons just in case they were masking intelligence. Even Aerys had not murdered his own children Harry thought, but the God-Emperor's paranoia and wanting to be seen as the greatest of all god-emperors meant all of his own sons had to die while his daughters remained firmly under lock and key. Rumour had it some of his grandsons had even been fathered by the man who thought himself a god, impregnating his own daughters but Harry knew to take such things with a pinch of salt as that at least had not been done publically.

Harry had no intention of dying on the altar of his insanity, so he resolved to be prepared and that was why he was sitting in his tent turning a strap of leather, two pieces of glass and a few bits of metal into a set of goggles. He carefully transconfigured them all into the right shape and size before carefully carving the runes into the glass. It was delicate work but hopefully it would give him an edge. These goggles had been an invention during his opposite's time as an auror, a magical law keeper. They allowed whoever was wearing them to see someone or something by their magical signature, like thermal goggles that saw heat. With these Harry would be able to see the basilisks in the jungle at some distance and not just blunder through the forest as the others planned to do.

But Harry smiled as he added a new rune to the glass, one he had learnt of in the Prince of Chroyane's private library. It seemed that Basilisks had once plagued their lands too but to counter their deadly stare they had invented a rune that filtered out the lethal glare of the basilisk, once they had that the Rhoynar had hunted them down and slaughtered the colonies there.

He had managed to trade some of the spices he acquired in Qarth for a high-powered bow and pronged arrows from a local blacksmith along with some very sharp and light javelins. His plan was not to confront the basilisks head on, like his alternate self-had done with a sword but instead thanks to the goggles, shoot an arrow or throw a javelin through its eye and into the brain. That was not to say that he wasn't adding something extra, tipping the arrows in poison for a little bit of an extra kick. While poison itself would hardly affect the basilisk if it was consumed, sent straight to the brain it would be fatal almost instantly if of course the arrow or the javelin did not kill it first. After his encounter in Qarth with the warlocks harry was taking no chances, and he thought to himself it might be a good chance to get some very useful potion ingredients and some high quality leather. He had an expanded chest already prepared with a stasis charm on it but that was if his plan worked he thought to himself with some nervousness.

Deciding to waste no time Harry strapped the bow and quiver to his back and placed the javelins into a bundle that he could carry, put his goggles on his face and left camp after packing his tent away to start hunting for the basilisks.

The humidity of the jungle was horrible, Harry thought with sweat already running down his face. It was hot and it had rained the night before, making the ground thick with mud. It was hell to travel and Harry was of reasonable fitness, could only imagine how some of the men were not as fit as him would fair in these conditions assuming of course, the basilisks did not eat them first.

It was quite a while however before he found his first 'King of the Serpents' as the basilisk was known. This one was quite young, laying on top of a rock sleeping in the sun, unaware of his presence as Harry got into position. It was not a particularly big basilisk Harry thought with some relief, may be only twenty foot which compared to other snakes was big but not as large as they could grow. Its head was facing him with the eyes closed so he crept forward and pulled his bow off his back and notched an arrow, he locked on to the closed eyelid and pull back as far as he dared wishing now he could have made this bow stronger. His hands almost quaked as he tried desperately to keep focused on the target, his nerves tightening like a snake would wrap around him until a slight movements set Harry off and he shot the arrow without even thinking.

Fortunately his aim was true, the arrow planted itself straight into the basilisk's eye. The creature immediately woke howled in pain thrashing wildly, its big remaining yellow eye blocked thankfully by the goggles as Harry had hoped it would be, while he backed away from the snake in fear it would target him its frenzy. But this only lasted a moment as the poison that the arrow was tipped with burned its brain, the beast fell dead and hit the ground with a soft thump.

Harry could not believe it, he had actually felled basilisk with one arrow tipped in poison. His heart was racing and his breathing fast but he was elated. His preparations had worked and given that the area was clear of anyone to see, he was quite able to pull out his expanded trunk and levitating the snake's carcass into it.

With that done and his adrenaline still high from his kill, Harry shrunk the chest back down and gazed through the jungle looking for this next target.

 **-x-**

 _ **Two days later…**_

A forty foot basilisk laid dead in front of him as Harry claimed his twenty second snake kill in two days. He had found the other hunters that had not been as lucky as he lying around or rather grizzly little bits of them, but he fortunately had been lucky with his goggles protecting him from their gaze and his poison tipped arrows and javelins killing the creature is stone dead very quickly.

Cleaning the arrows/javelins and then re-tipping them in poison was annoying but at least it was doable so it wasn't likely to run out but he did have to wonder how in the blazes the basilisk situation here had got this bad? They would have had to have been allowed to breed unchecked for years to reach this number, and he could only imagine how many probably died because of them but fortunately for the human population they seem to prefer the jungle and stayed away from the roads.

Harry while putting the Basilisk corpse into the chest and activating the stasis runes, pulled the javelin from its eye then cleaned it and re-tipped it with poison. He did it without thinking, the routine now familiar after doing it solid for two days and sighed hating the heat and humidity of the jungle.

Thankfully though he was closing in on the den and there he hoped to be able to kill the main female and end the colony. He had had some close shaves over the last two days, one instance had two basilisks coming at him at once but he had managed to fell one with an arrow and dodged the other until he had planted a javelin in its eye. This one had seemed to a be solitary creature which was why it had been so relatively easy to kill it but the threat would not be over until Harry had eliminated female. Thankfully the species could not change genders as some animals could, so when the female died the colony would end.

Harry once finished listened intently, walking slowly through the thick jungle to find the cave system with the basilisks had made their den, instantly thinking better of entering it. Tight narrow confines against monster snakes, not happening he thought. Looking around he saw some half consumed carcasses of animals and a few humans lying around that had probably been discarded by the basilisks after hunting. While a grim sight it did give him an idea on how to attract them out of the cave, so he grabbed one of the more recent bones had still got some meat on it and with some transconfiguration changed it into a juicy steak. He started a campfire keeping an eye firmly on the cave entrance, before putting the steak on a stick right in front of it and then lit the fire. He stepped back to the edge of the clearing with his arrows and javelins at hand, letting the smell of freshly cooking meat do the job luring the basilisks out.

It took some time though much to his surprise for any of the snakes to react, eventually one did poke its head out but it was not the female and Harry could only shoot the smaller male before quickly packing it away and thinking about what else he might use bait when suddenly he heard a very loud and piercing screeching sound in the air. Turning back towards the clearing where he had been waiting he saw the female, identified as such given that it was without the scarlet plume on its head that a male would have.

It was certainly far bigger than the males he had killed so far, reaching at least sixty feet long. Harry had barely any time to react before the creature lunged for him at the killing of its children, Harry rolled and was forced to dodge yet again the creature came back for him quicker making it impossible for him to use his arrows of javelins to aim for its eyes.

Magic he knew would not help him here, the hide of the creature was resistant to magic and because the water was still wet from the regular rain, he could not get any kindling to try to kill it with fire.

That unfortunately left him with only one option, he had to fight it head on at close range. He had really hoped not to have to do this but what else would you do?

He threw one of his javelins towards the basilisk's head hoping that it might kill the creature but unfortunately it only managed to hit its mouth and lodge itself in the creature's tongue before the enraged snake bit it in half and spat it out. It did pay a price for this however, howling in pain as the poison burned its tongue. The creature's head was still shaking too much for Harry to throw another javelin or arrow but it did give him a few precious seconds to react, so he drew both his swords _Orphanmaker_ and _Blackfyre_ which she had recently discovered was the name of his other sword and judged his moment.

He waited till just the right second when the basilisk was low enough to the ground before he slashed hard with both swords against the neck of the creature.

His magic enhanced his strength along with pure adrenaline running through him so he managed to surprise himself, to take the entire head the snake off in one go. He looked on in shocked as the basilisk's head rolled away from him, not expecting to have had that much force behind his strike but grateful all the same for it had saved his life.

Magic did enhance the muscles are little it was one of the reasons why wizards and witches were able to handle the statistical strains of quidditch, the pressure of the wind and the physical strain required was often more than most muggles could handle because the wizards had magic to fortify their bodies a little when their adrenaline was high.

He looked back at the rest of the carcass and with an exhausted sigh took out the expanded shrunken chest for what he hoped would be the final time. He gathered the female basilisk's remains and forced them into the expanded chest and then shrunk it back down again after activating the stasis runes.

He hoped that this would be enough to get him out of any more trouble with the God Emperor so he could finally look into exploring Yi Ti in peace. He would of course need some proof of his kills, so he had been cutting the scarlet plumes off the head of the males and keeping them in his special expanded pouch. He shrunk the head of the female and after pulling out the teeth he put it in the pouch too. That he hoped should be enough, not knowing of course what was going to happen when he presented his trophies to the official.

* * *

The official that had drafted Harry into this insane hunt was himself up in absolutely astonished when Harry emerged from the jungle especially, with twenty three male basilisk plumes as proof of kills and female's head. He had more or less wiped out the entire colony. The official went to make his report while Harry returned to the town and finally managed to acquire some sacks of rice seeds and the knowledge of how to grow it, knowing that this would be very useful when he eventually returned home. So he put the sacks into stasis and bought some fresh food for his own preserved stocks, refilling them so for a while at least he would be okay.

Then just as he was leaving the market place Harry noticed a patrol of guards coming towards him and Harry was instantly on alert wondering what on earth could be going on now? The head of the guards came up to Harry and said in a stern voice.

"You are to come to the palace immediately, the God Emperor himself has demanded your presence."

Harry was stunned and more than a little apprehensive, especially after the rumours he had heard. What on earth would the God Emperor want to see him for? He honestly did not like the way this was going and knew he might have to defend himself at some point but he sighed knowing it was best to play along for now until he knew what was going on.

So he agreed and followed guards to the palace, but when he got there he was amazed at what they saw.

The only palace or castle he had seen that would even remotely compare with this size of the God Emperor's palace was the Palace of Love in Chroyane. It was nearly a city on its own, ten times bigger than Highgarden with what looked like thousands of people running around to serve God Emperor's whims.

Harry was impressed at the size of the great palace as he walked to it under escort of the guards, in fact he was unable to ascertain its true extent especially if it went underground. One fact however was very clear in that it was the grandest building he had ever set foot in, golden leaf covered half the floors and walls in some places although this was probably not done recently or to the whole Palace considering the expense required.

There were extravagant displays of wealth all around him as he walked through the corridors, but what interested Harry the most was the echoes of magic on in the air. He knew that the palace itself had supposedly been the palace of the Great Empire of Dawn, supposedly the oldest empire in the world but he did not believe it looking around him. This palace was probably no more than a thousand years old perhaps although it had clearly been built to resemble an earlier structure as the magic of the place had long since dissipated and was now no more than a mere trace of what it had been located in the foundations. The number of guards around the place was considerable, easily few hundred past Harry on his way to the main hall and he could well imagine them being thousands more so he began to worry that he might have made a mistake in sticking around rather than running away so he could only hope that things improved for him as he met the God Emperor.

When eventually he arrived in the throne room, again it was a display of affluence that bordered on vulgarity and then went over the mark by a few miles. Harry was simply shaking his head inside, the room was enormous and decked with displays of wealth and probably had been the same for the centuries. Easily enough to contain possibly to hold well over a few hundred courtiers although there only seemed to be about thirty or so in the cavernous room and a large number of guards that stared at the courtiers who milled nervously under their glare. Light shone down from stained glass dome that covered most of the room ceiling and at the end on an enormous plinth that looked down on everyone else was an older man sitting on a great throne looking absolutely insignificant given its size.

Harry took a moment to study the man and could well believe that this was the insane God Emperor he had heard about; golden silk robes studded with jewels almost swallowed his form whole which he could tell from his face was very gaunt near sickly thin and lined with age. His hair was so long that it went past his feet to coil like a snake at his feet and was clearly now very light grey although someone tried obviously to diet black and not correctly done the job, resulting it a matted slightly darker grey.

The sign that showed his madness though was his eyes, they were almost unnaturally wide and intense as they glared around the room almost radiating paranoia and darting around almost as if there was an assassin behind every single item in the room. Like the Kingsguard back in Westeros, guards in golden coloured armour stood all around the room, easily well over a hundred of them all with their faces completely obscured and armed to the teeth with at least two maybe three swords each of different sizes, a pair of daggers, a couple had axes, all had throwing stars and such a variety of weapons that they honestly looked like a walking arsenal.

While he was studying the room however the God Emperor noticed his arrival and began to speak, immediately grabbing not only Harry's attention but the courtiers as well.

"Here is the brave warrior that slew so many of the great beasts that we shall not see their kind again for many years I think." He said looking around the room as if daring someone to contradict him but to his disappointment no one did. "He is proving itself more capable than any of you and therefore a charge him should command my army, effective immediately to bring my domain's villains and plotters to heel."

What surprised Harry more than the announcement which was shocking in itself, was that no one seemed to even want to whisper about it in anger. He guessed such conversations would probably happen later out of earshot of the God Emperor as they feared his wrath, Harry of course had a different problem he realised with some sense of dread.

Number 1 he had never led an army.

Number 2 he had never wanted to lead an army let alone one in a foreign land such as this.

Number 3 he had no intention of being tied down like this.

He would have probably tried to talk his way out of it when he was stopped by a sudden shaking of the head from one of the well-dressed girls in the room. She was beautiful Harry noticed with elegantly styled black hair, a perfectly shaped face and body with very enchanting blue & green eyes. But those eyes were looking at him with some concern and also an appraising look. It was enough to make Harry stop and merely bow before the God Emperor and said.

"As you command, your grace." Feeling very much like he was making colossal mistake in failing to escape when he had the chance. He was trying to leave the room when the girl who would shook her head walked over and took him by the arm. She whispered quickly to Harry as she guided him out into the corridor and beyond the guards who thankfully were no longer following.

"You are very lucky." She told him, her eyes darting around as if expecting a spy which was very possible. "My father was planning originally to have your carcass butchered by his guard and hung above his throne as a reminder of those who defy his vision. Fortunately I was able to convince him to do this instead by saying it was a new chance to humiliate yourself and make him feel better and more powerful."

"Well I'm not the luckiest man in the world?" Harry said with sarcasm, anger now starting to rise at not only the princess who was holding firmly onto his arm, but the old man was clearly insane. "I have no idea what on earth possessed you to do this rather than just simply tell me to flee? Or is it your intention to see me humiliate myself too?"

The Princess however did not seem that put off by his anger as she began to smile. She confused Harry slightly so he decided to read her thoughts, she was bemused by him but also use intrigued and eager for his help that was enough to stop Harry from snapping again until she spoke.

"My father kills just about anyone who threatens his power or at least what he perceives as a threat which counts almost as anything. He had all of my brothers killed just because he thought they would one day replace him which of course is the point of a son." She told Harry, confirming at least from what he could sense in complete honesty the fate of her family. "He set that task to prove that he was doing something when he was quite content to let those basilisk roam free across our land as it scared people which of course is something he enjoys. When you succeeded in a task that everyone thought was impossible he sees you now is a great warrior who is better than he is so therefore you must die. But I was able to tell him that if you were to fail against an army of men that it would prove you are never threat to him. But I want you to succeed." She said with a smirk on her face and a slightly calculating look in her eye.

Harry instantly became suspicious, while he sensed she meant him no harm she had very strong ambitions of her own and he had just become against is well crucial part of her plans. However he had no intention of being anyone's pawn do if he was going to be used, it was as a partner not as a tool. So he told her so.

"If you intend to use me then tell me what you want in full detail. No holding anything back, what is it?" His eyes intense and Princess felt herself unsettled but told him anyway.

"My name is Bathi, my father's oldest daughter and as of now with the death of all his sons the heir to throne of Yin. My father even try to be rid of me by marrying me off to a man he thought of no significance to of course shame me but the joke was on him when it turns out he was also a very intelligent administrator and has good instincts for trade and things like that only adding to my cause rather than weaken it." She laughed before continuing. "I have been planning to if not overthrow him, encourage his retirement but I lack the allies to do so that present. However if you were to help me by defeating a dozen or so petty kings, lords, princes and all the other so-called rulers across Yi Ti and deliver their families to me so I can hold them as hostages and potentially married off the younger members to my allies then I can remove my father and stabilise this country. I want this country to be whole again."

She spoke with such determination and energy that Harry could not help but admire her. After all his own homeland had once been much the same with each castle belonging to someone who called themselves a king and claimed all the land around him until the rise of the great houses who forced their obedience so the petty kings became lords. It seemed that in Yi Ti the opposite had happened, when the land had once been unified it had now devolved into chaos with many different people in vying for power and calling themselves king or whatever. He didn't sense anything malicious in Bathi's intentions and her mind was quite focused on that goal. So Harry just asked her plain and simple.

"If I did this I have two questions. The first is what would happen to the people that I bring to you? The second what can you do to help me?" Like he had said earlier Harry had never led an army before, he was a competent swordsman who now had some experience but he had never actually led anything before and had not had much instruction in areas of strategy beyond the basics. The princess did not seem unsettled at all by this and told him in no uncertain terms.

"The answer to the first is as I have said that the young will be married off to allies of mine and I can assure you they will not be harmed, hardly anyone is of use when they are dead. Any who are not of use will be simply kept it as hostages and I never kill a resource." She said with a smirk that would have shocked many male nobles that a woman could be so cunning, of course Harry had seen his grandmother so he was not so shocked and in fact began to admire her. "As for the second my father intended to you to have nothing but the dregs of society but I can help you get an army of twenty thousand men, infantry, cavalry and arches with provisions. As for the leadership issue I know just the man to teach you to do it and I will introduce you to him."

 **-x-**

The man she had in mind was exactly what Harry would have thought a God Emperor of Yi Ti to look like. His hair was long, straight and white with his age clear in his face from line sense many years of stress but unlike the God Emperor his eyes were sharp as any blade, his clothes fine but simple and fitted him well so he could move and look grand at the same time. His hair carefully cut and while long did not fall beneath his waist. The princess bowed slightly to him when she introduced them to each other, letting Harry know this man was important.

"Harry Tyrell." The princess said as they studied each other. "This is the greatest general in history of our land and has kept this country for falling outside invaders for decades until my father forced him to retire. The great strategist and gender role Fa Chian."

The general did not looking highly impressed by his young pupil however the princess had convinced him to take the boy on so he told Harry in no uncertain terms.

"I do not know if you have learnt anything of value before he came here but I will tell you now I will not tolerate any favouritism, idiocy or more importantly someone who does not want to learn. I can teach you all the lessons that you will need to fight a war and to lead men, but only if you will be taught." Fa Chian said his eyes glaring, daring Harry to respond.

But Harry never once backed down from a challenge and at the same time thinking it might not be such a bad thing to bring some order to the country and possibly overthrow mad ruler before he did something unforgivable like his own country's Mad King had done namely starting a war that had destroyed thousands of lives and torn Westeros apart. So he decided that he do what he could at least until he could leave. He knew the princess was telling the truth about her intentions and this could prove very helpful to him in the future. But he would not simply bow to everything the older man was saying and instead told him in no uncertain terms.

"I would question everything you say." Harry told them his own eyes glaring back with the same intensity as the older man who only nodded and said.

"Good, questioning what you are told is the first step. Do not trust your eyes completely for there is always something else going on either beyond their sight or beneath it. Use your ears to hear, your nose to smell and you might notice something your eyes missed. Now what do you know about your first target?" The old man asked Harry shook his head.

"Nothing." The old man seemed delighted by his answer instead of anger as Harry would have expected and told him.

"That is the second lesson, to defeat an enemy you must understand him. Studying him closely to find his temperament; where he is strongest, where he is weakest. What are his goals, what are his desires? Once you learn who you are fighting and how they intend to fight it is not so difficult to beat them. But before you do anything, you must make sure your army is prepared."

Harry gritted his teeth, knowing that these coming days were going to be difficult.

* * *

So began the most gruelling three weeks of Harry's life so far as he and Fa Chian got his army properly organised and disciplined. Harry had been given twelve thousand light infantry, two thousand professional archers and six thousand cavalry to use as he saw fit but getting them to work as a single unit that could fight as one was step one in the campaign. Organisation was key to making an army fight effectively as Fa Chian was only too happy to remind him every day. However there was one lesson he had not needed to teach Harry which was to lead by example.

Whatever the men were eating, he ate with them. His tent was not apart from the rest of the camp but sat right with theirs and he fought alongside them. The soldiers who had not been sure of this foreign interloper were impressed by his skill with a sword and astonished that he seemed to live as they did rather than take the benefits of rank, working just as hard as any of them. They soon respected him enough to follow his orders without question.

But Harry as he sweated it out with the weights alongside his men in the exercise field, he was also thinking about his first target. A walled town with a key trade route near the capital. Not the largest of settlements but it still claimed its independence from the God-Emperor, Fa Chain had told him that the ruler was a coward but not in the way he would immediately surrender but instead hide behind his walls. So Harry was thinking how he might break the town's defences without an overwhelming assault as the walls were high and thick. He would need to play out each angle in his head.

Then as the blood rushed through his body while he lifted the heavy weights, he had an idea. One that might just deliver the town without any actual fighting, so he put the weights down and went to find his scouts. He had a mission for them, they would enter the town in secret and find out the situation there before returning to him with their intelligence to see if his plan was viable.

 **-x-**

 _ **Q'liu…**_

The march to the town of Q'liu took most of the next three days, Harry sat on Storm surveying the target at the head of the army. The walls were at least forty feet high so he was glad he had decided not to simply try and storm the town. While it could only field maybe two thousand defenders on the walls, far less men than he had but they could still inflict significant causalities as his men tried to force the gate or climb the walls. He had told no one of his plan, being mysterious made his men wonder and the rumours made him seem more powerful which another lesson he had been taught by Fa Chian. Create a legend and your men and enemies alike will be in awe of you, less inclined to fight or betray you. A good example of this was Tywin Lannister back home, no one would dare cross him given the reputation he had and while Harry did not want to be quite as infamous, it was useful he conceded to be feared and respected like that.

Harry turned his attention back to the present and saw the scouts he had sent ahead return, he listened as they reported that they had found what he was looking for and Harry smiled. The scouts had managed to recruit a local band of prostitutes inside the town, at certain times in the day, some would distract the guards at a specific section of the wall while others lowered a rope. Some of his men would climb this rope and then hide in the prostitutes' brothel until they were needed.

To create cover for these men, he and the rest of the army would distract the rest of the defenders by marching around the town for several days, loudly blowing battle horns and drums in two groups so they could condition the enemy to the sound and keep them nervous and tense. Focused on the main body of his army, rather than the small group that was sneaking inside.

The final parts were down to the men that would be inside the town. At the right moment, they would emerge from hiding and attack the defenders at the main gate, throw it open and his army could enter. With the fear and tension he would create through the whispers of the whores he had hired and the continued threat of attack the people of the town would fold immediately. But to ensure they got the desired effect, Harry was going to personally get some insurance with the help of Orion.

 **-x-**

 _ **Six days later…**_

The army completed another march around the town, blowing their battle horns and banging their war drums while ten men a day were being snuck inside the walls by the prostitutes in his employ so now sixty men were ready to open the gates on command. Harry meanwhile made a great show of leading the army around the city himself. Even from here he could see the tension and terror that gripped the guards, their will was eroding with every march as the enemy was constantly guessing when he was going to attack, depriving them of sleep and keeping them in a constant state of tension.

He turned to Fa Chian who rode at his side and gave the man a slight nod which the old man returned. He would lead the army on another march around the city while Harry snuck off to get his insurance that the town would surrender when the gate opened. He rode Storm into the trees, out of sight of his men. Tying the horse to a tree Harry put on a mask to obscure his identity and with a pop apparated within the city walls, inside a courtyard of the so called 'palace'. In reality it was a similar to a villa, a large one but nothing more. The courtyard was blissfully empty so Harry could go about his business undetected but to be on the safe side he cast a notice me not charm on himself. Better to be overly cautious than reckless Harry thought remembering how he had ended up in Chroyane.

He crept through the rooms and corridors of the villa and found most of the people who lived there were dressed affluently but were quiet with worry etched on their faces. Clearly Harry thought his attempts to unsettle and strike fear into the people of the city had gone much further than the guards on the walls. Good he thought to himself, he did not want any large slaughter besides the town would be far more productive and useful to them if they took it intact so hopefully he would take the town without a fight.

When he found the so called 'king' of Q'liu Harry stopped and shook his head in disappointment. The fat and overweight man was passed out drunk on his bed, he had expected for him to a least be sober. The fact he was nearly naked did not help matters either and Harry decided to waste no more time and grabbed the so called King's wrist and apparate back outside of the city.

The shock of the sudden movement woke the king but not quickly enough given how much he had drunk, so Harry was able to conjure some rope to bind his wrists and tied it to Storm's saddle. Harry offered his horse an apple which he took without hesitation and happily ate it while Harry got on his back. By now the so called king was starting to regain his faculties and was shocked to find himself not in his own bed but in the wood outside his town and bound to a stranger's horse.

"What?" He asked not able to say anything else with his mind still groggy from the amount of wine he had consumed. He could only just stay on his feet as Harry rode Storm out of the wood, dragging the near naked king behind him.

Fa Chian was astonished at the sight when he noticed Harry's prisoner being dragged behind him. The guards on the walls were astonished to, calling out in surprise while the king could only hide his head in shame. As Harry joined with Fa Chian they turned their army towards the town's large gates and nodded to the battlehorn players who started blasting a different song, a deep roaring sound that the entire town could hear.

 **-x-**

On the inside of the gate the already nervous guards trembled at the sound; the sight of their leader, bound and near naked at the side of the enemy had struck them so much they did not know what to do. Then before they could recover there was a scream from their men near the stairs up to the walls, and to the guards horror enemy soldiers were charging out from the nearby brothel and running up to the walls.

The men hidden inside the wall swarmed so quickly that the defenders had no time to react as they cleared the gate and threw it open.

Harry and his twenty thousand men marched through the gate, destroying whatever spirit the defenders had left, one by one they threw down their weapons and surrendered. Fa Chian looked over to Harry who was still dragging the near naked and disgraced 'king' behind him and said.

"Not bad. You took the city without great loss and now it bends the knee to us. A good start but things get harder from this moment." He said looking imperiously from his horse, Harry took the small compliment but could not help but feel a little put off by how Fa had said. Still Harry realised he was right, the next time it would not be as easy as it was today.

A few days later Harry had put a new man in charge of the town and sent the former 'king' and his family to the capital. He was unsettled as he watched them go, not sure if this was a good idea given where they were going but he had other work to do and could stay no longer and left with his army of twenty thousand men, now including a thousand extra cavalry from Q'liu. His next target was a small city called Dhor Qar.

* * *

 _ **Lands of Dhor Qar, a week later…**_

The small city of Dhor Qar was one of the newest settlements in Yi Ti, built by a group of merchants with Qarthi wives which had given it the name, it had a strong hold on the silk trade within the country shipped down the river nearby to the coast or overland to Qohor. The city had risen to prominence quickly and now commanded an army of over thirty thousand men.

In the wee hours of the morning, Harry looked at the maps of the area grimly, the soldiers from Dhor Qar were just as good as his and in greater numbers. Worst word of his victory at Q'liu had spread and that he was heading this way would have reached Dhor Qar by now. Scouts had reported the army had massed outside the city, ready to meet him when he came. That left Harry with a hard decision to make and plan out his next fight, one that did not create a massive slaughter on his side.

Harry got fed up as nothing sprung to mind and left the tent to get some fresh air in hopes of clearing his head. The sun was only just peaking over the mountains in the distance and he sighed as he honestly wondered why he had decided to go along with this. Maybe he should flee at the next opportunity? But he was no quitter and hated a puzzle he could not solve, there must be a way to take this army down without a massive and costly field battle. Fa Chian had been annoyingly silent, content to allow Harry to solve this problem on his own which irritated Harry no end. He was silently cursing the old man when something caught his attention.

The army had camped near a lake to rest on the march and refill their supply of drinking water, it was a very large lake and surrounded on the sides thick forest and a narrow passage between the water and the tree line. But what really caught Harry's eye was the fog that seemed to roll off of the lake, covering the entire tree line and making it almost impossible to see. A slight hill in the distance was visible, but little else.

Harry frowned, wondering if he could use it in some way, which was dependant on if it came each morning at the same time. He walked over to the tent where some of the scouts who were familiar with the area were camped and saw them preparing their breakfast. They jumped to attention when they saw him but Harry told them quickly.

"At ease gentlemen, I require your knowledge. Is this fog a common occurrence here?" He asked pointing towards the shrouded lake shore. The men looked over and told him, confused at why he wanted to know.

"Yes General Tyrell. It is always like this in the morning, it vanishes after an hour or so. Is that all sir?" The scouts asked, respectful as they could manage but were eager to get back to their breakfast. Harry merely grinned and returned to his tent, a plan now forming in his mind. Taking one last look around the area to see if it had everything he required he became more confident, now he knew how to turn the tables on his enemy and use nature itself as a weapon. But there were preparations to make he thought and quickly set to work.

 **-x-**

In the nearby camp of the army of Dhor Qar a few days later, the Merchant Prince that commanded their thirty thousand men stood confident that they would soon find the army of the so called God Emperor and send them back to him with their tails between their legs. Their independence would be secure and he would earn himself a statue in their city square. He went to sleep that night a smile on his face, sure that the following day would bring honour and glory to him. The sort he had longed for.

Hours later he was woken not by his servant but by the screams and yells of his men, he jumped out of bed and rushed out of his tent to see a party of riders that were most definitely not part of his army stabbing tents with flaming torches and slashing with swords and spears at any men within reach. The Merchant Prince was struck dumb for a moment as he looked at the chaos these men were causing in his camp, not understanding what was happening until finally he regained his senses after a few powerless moments and fury replaced confusion as he saw the symbol of the God Emperor on the riders' armour. With half the camp ablaze and the Dhor Qar soldiers in disarray, the riders began to ride away back to their own camp. The Merchant Prince's eyes followed them with a glare that could melt stone.

"Get the men together we are going after them!" He yelled out and his captain whose face was covered in burns from narrowly escaping his flaming tent looked at his commander in concern.

"Your highness." Referring to him as he knew the prince liked to be called. "The men will need rest and to get ready for a battle. Perhaps after first light?" He suggested only for his words to be met with a foaming and spitting prince's angry declaration.

"NO WE ARE GOING TO CATCH THESE COWARDS AND MAKE THEM BEG FOR DEATH!" The Prince bellowed and the captain while knowing this was a bad idea, went to get the men ready for a forced night march.

 **-x-**

Hours later, the men were still marching in column as the dawn approached, their feet dragged slightly as they moved not ready for such a march but their commander drove them on relentlessly. All they wanted to do was sleep and if not that then get something to eat. Their feet ached and while they desperately wanted to stop the Prince who was on horseback kept on going.

Finally just as the sun began to rise over the mountains in the distance, they came to a lake. In the distance they could see a camp on a hill straight ahead. The Prince smiled a vicious grin and said.

"THERE ARE THE COWARDS! FORWARD!" He said urging them and the men were so weary they could not even muster a battle cry but followed slowly regardless. Route stepping along the beach of the lake, they were suddenly engulfed in the early morning fog as it came off of the lake. The men however tired they were all became very nervous as it was so hard to see more than twenty feet ahead of them. The Prince himself was so fixated on the camp on the hill that he failed to take note of where he was and what they were doing.

A mistake he would not live to regret as a loud voice emerged from the mist.

"CHARGE!"

Every man from the Dhor Qar army looked to see twenty one thousand men come charging straight out of the forest on their left, weapons already in hand and screaming battle cries as they collided with the unprepared quivering and exhausted men in their unprotected flank.

Swords and spears slashed at the enemy, the Dhor Qar had no weapon in hand to defend themselves with and were too tired and surprised to react quickly.

 **-x-**

Blood splattered all over the rough beach as the slaughter began, up close and personal. Harry's men had the advantage of sleep and food so they were full of energy, ready for a fight whereas just as he had planned the enemy was not. Harry led his men on foot not wanting to bother with a horse as the twenty one thousand men under his command trapped the unprepared enemy between their swords and the deep water of the lake.

Bones were shattered.

Limbs were hacked.

Blood soon stained the ground red.

Harry brandished _Orphanmaker_ and _Blackfyre_ without hesitation, cutting down men left and right as he and his army pushed on. Two soldiers thought to try and take him together only to be impaled on his swords. Pulling the blades free Harry found himself in a gauntlet of death as the killing continued.

He continued working his way into the fight, keeping himself from becoming surrounded but butchered any enemy soldiers that came close. Screams of pain filled the air and Harry worked to block out the noise as he took the arm off one man before slashing his throat open. It was not pleasant work and he would be ready to leave after this but he looked over to the trees, a sight caught his eye. It was the same faceless man he had met in Braavos (the one with hair coloured red and white) who smiled approvingly at Harry and nodded, Harry was struck momentarily dumb and then after he blinked the faceless man was gone like he had never existed.

Harry was unsettled by the encounter but had to focus on the battle rather than think on what he had just seen. His mind might be playing tricks on him he hoped but he had the feeling that this was somehow part of his 'destiny' however much Harry hated that word.

He would work to unify this country Harry decided as enemy soldiers began dropping their weapons in droves in surrender, it was a far better thing for a nation to be united than divided and in conflict. From what he had learned from Fa Chian, war was the normal state of affairs here.

Nineteen small wars in the last fifteen years, which Harry thought was ridiculous. Something had to be done and it seemed that fate had placed the role in his hands as the last of the enemy surrendered.

* * *

 _ **Two Weeks later…**_

Harry was reading over logistic reports to make sure he and his men had the supplies for the rest of the campaign. A supply line from the capital now flowed through Dhor Qar which had surrendered after nearly half its army was killed in the ambush on the lake's shore. Ten thousand men had been added to his army including some much needed heavy infantry and more than two thousand cavalry. He had his concerns that they might not be loyal given he had forced the submission of their city and sent its leaders to the capital but so far they had been behaving.

Fa Chian watched him like a hawk, while his actual hawk Orion slept in the corner. The old man had been drilling him relentlessly in what he called the art of war. He had given Harry a book that he himself had written containing his philosophy and knowledge of war and had Harry read it until he knew it backwards, but Harry had to admit the man knew strategy and tactics better than anyone he had ever met. Fa Chian could probably give Randyll Tarly a run for his money and Harry really had learnt a lot from him but the old man then retired to his tent for the night without a word. Harry watched the old man leave and decided to retire himself, but a soldier burst through the tent and told him with great anxiety.

"General. Our scouts near the ruined the city of Han For have been ambushed by the armies of Le and Kili."

Harry grimaced, no rest for the wicked it seemed he thought and went to get the men ready for a march at first light.

 **-x-**

Harry and his men arrived at Han in the late evening of the following day on a nearby hill, many of which surrounded the ruined city. Now that he could see it for himself he knew why his men had been ambushed, the ruined city was old…no one had lived there for over two centuries but unlike most cities in Yi Ti it was made of stone. It was a labyrinth of collapsed walls and caved in buildings…perfect place for an ambush. Narrow passages through the ruined city would be a nightmare to transverse in large numbers and subject to ambush in small groups.

The enemy camp he could clearly see on the other side of the ruin, not as big as his own but enough to cause him trouble. From the size he guessed there would be about twenty thousand men in that camp but most were concentrated in the ruin which Harry realised gave him a significant problem. If he tried to fight them in the ruin his men would be ambushed from every conceivable direction, and whittled down in guerrilla style combat.

But if he presented his army outside of the city to offer battle then the enemy would never face him. They would clearly see they would be overpowered and hold up inside the city, it would become a slow battle of attrition and he might be stuck here for months and that he thought with a grimace was something he could not afford. Time was valuable, so were men and he could lose neither.

He looked over to Fa Chian who just stared right back at him so Harry asked.

"Any suggestions?"

Fa Chian shook his head. Harry frowned before saying, annoyed at the old man's refusal to help.

"You are a big help."

Harry thought on what he might do, different plans came and went only for them to be dismissed when he realised they would never work. Ironically as he was about to make camp, two lessons of Fa Chian provided the answer.

Never allow an enemy to know your true strength and that warfare is based on disinformation, only allow the enemy what you wanted him to know and then strike him right he is where you want him.

He looked at a map that night and started forming a plan in his mind, calling his senior cavalry and infantry commanders together. They would each play a part in the performance he was going to put on tomorrow for the enemy. One that would cause them to commit a blunder that should bring about their destruction.

 **-x-**

When dawn crept over the hills that surrounded Han, the soldiers of Le and Kili looked out of the city and saw a force of men marching out of jungle and line up for battle outside the collapsed outer wall. The commanders looked and saw the banner of the God-Emperor being held aloft and more critically there were only about six thousand infantry led by their supposed great general…Harry Tyrell.

They laughed, what a foolish barbarian! He had dared challenge them with such pitiful numbers. The men he had supposedly defeated must have been weak indeed for so few men to take them, not to mention he was so confident that he would dare challenge them. They could deal with this!

So they blew their battle horns, signalling for their men to emerge from hiding and assemble outside the city. Confidently they did as their commanders bid and marched out of the city, soon twenty thousand infantry faced just six thousand on the open plain. They openly jeered the men of the God Emperor who did nothing except stand their ground despite being outnumbered.

"CHARGE!" Somebody cried out and the men began to move, not caring if it had come from one of their commanders or not. Glory and Honour would be theirs.

The God Emperor's men led by their general turned and ran towards the nearby hills before actual contact was made, the soldiers of Le and Kili jeering at their cowardice as they gave chase especially as the general raced ahead of his men, showing the inferiority of the foreigner.

Then Harry Tyrell stopped and turned, drawing one of his swords and raised it high above his head. He moved it carefully so it flashed in the sun. The soldiers of Le and Kili stopped as their enemy stopped and turned around, not sure of what had caused the change of heart.

Then one of their men looked over towards Han and cried out in terror.

"LOOK!"

They all turned to see what he was so scared of when they saw the bright orange flames engulfing their camp, but worst was the mass of horses riding straight towards them around the ruins of Han. Thousands of them but Harry Tyrell it seems was not done yet. He turned around and flashed another signal with his sword in the opposite direction.

A thundering sound filled the air as the men of Le and Kili saw thousands more men pour over the hill and joined up with Harry Tyrell's six thousand and charged downhill towards them while the cavalry came from the other side.

 **-x-**

The men collided in a mass of blood and screaming, the terrified soldiers of Le and Kili were paralyzed with fear and helpless to escape the trap they had fallen into. Harry was in the vanguard, standing alongside his men on the battlefield with his swords in hand. He cut his way through the enemy, stabbing or slashing at soldiers as he moved forward, his steel armour soon stained red with the blood he had spilt. He felt nothing as he continued, his adrenaline was so high. With a double thrust two men were impaled through the stomach before he pulled them free and blocked a sword from another before taking off his arm with another, finishing him to spare the man anymore pain before continuing on.

Ten minutes. That was all it took to get them all to surrender, that and the slaughter of a third of their army. Harry, covered in blood and with a few bruises from the fight looked down at the leaders of Le and Kili who had been taken alive. The two men stared at him defiantly but their hands were bound and they were on their knees, a humiliating place to be in. Harry's men and Fa Chian watched as Harry told them what was going to happen.

"You will be taken to the gates of your cities, pray they value your lives because if they do not open the gates you will be hanged naked in front of them." Harry said, not really caring if they did or they didn't. Their armies were defeated and demoralised, they would no longer pose a threat. Maybe finally he could catch his breath and ensure all of his new soldiers were up to scratch before carrying on.

* * *

 _ **Three weeks later…**_

The enormous camp of the God Emperor's army stretched out like a town, word of Harry's campaign to unify Yi Ti on behalf of the God Emperor had spread. Three provinces had bent the knee to make sure they weren't attacked and now donated men to his army, so Harry now commanded a fight force of fifty thousand men. The size of his army daunted him somewhat but the real problem was revealed in a letter that he had just received from the Princess Bathi, his unofficial patron.

 _To Harry,_

 _I hope the reinforcements we sent you are useful, you are almost finished. Yin has gained much influence thanks to your hard work and I have convinced my father to release you after defeating one last enemy._

 _Unfortunately it is the most dangerous of all, your actions have not gone unnoticed and while many are wise to bend the knee and accept my father's throne, some stubbornly refuse to see sense. Ten provinces have come together and assembled an army of a hundred and fifty thousand men with the intention of destroying your army and marching on the capital of Yin. They will pass through the plains of Gar'etha on the way here if you intend to fight them._

 _I wish I could bring you better news and I would understand if you fled now given the odds against us but please, for the sake of uniting this country and ending the chaos that has gripped it for so many years please do whatever you can before you go._

 _Wishing you the best whatever you decide,_

 _Bathi. Princess of Yi Ti._

Harry stared at the letter, feeling torn. He had only agreed to the princess's plan to unite the country because it would benefit the people if they stood together under the princess instead of her insane father, but not he was faced with a colossal army larger than any army that any one kingdom for his homeland could put together. If he was going to fight then there was no real time to try and divide the force against them as finding the weak spots would take too long, so it would have to be in a head to head battle.

He could get to the plains of Gar'etha in time to intercept them…just. It was the last bit of land before the capital and nowhere along the route the enemy were taking would allow an ambush to thin out their numbers. He had not yet found any magic that could turn the tide which he could use and no time again to find new allies. He did wish he had a dragon as the egg in his possession could have turned the tide if it were fully grown but he had decided to not hatch one till he had a place to raise it. A decision that was now looking foolish.

He stared at the letter before taking a seat and massaging his temples as he considered the odds against him. Such a colossal army had never been put to the field at least as far he knew in his lifetime and he was being asked to save an empire by defeating it in battle with only a third of their numbers.

Just as he was about to get up, Fa Chian entered the tent. Without a word Harry handed him the letter and the old man read it, to his credit without batting an eyelid. He finished and then asked Harry seriously.

"Will you run?"

Harry did not speak for a moment, not sure of what to say. But he did eventually answer.

"I do not know."

Fa Chian did not call him a coward or encourage him to stay. He merely took the seat across from him and looked him straight in the eye. Harry sat up straighter and waited patiently for whatever the old man had to say.

"A force like that is nearly unstoppable as it attacks straight ahead, that is how they have trained their men." Fa Chian told him with a smile. "Horses will not play a huge role in their army as those provinces choose massive numbers of infantry, quantity over quality. So will have a slight advantage in cavalry. If you choose to fight." He said looking deeply at Harry to determine his intent.

Harry meanwhile was seriously considering just leaving right now when something Fa Chian had said echoed in his mind.

' _Nearly unstoppable as it attacks straight ahead.'_

They would come at him straight, they cannot turn or envelope. He had seen the tactics they used throughout the campaign and his readings of their history, they were designed to crush the enemy by marching straight at them.

He got up and picked up a piece of string, moving his finger along the desk and against the string until it had before almost a circle with his finger in the centre on the desk. Fa Chian looked at his expectantly, wondering what the young man had seen, not expecting for Harry to say what he said next.

"Ready the men, we have a long march ahead of us if we are going to reach Gar'etha in time. Get swords and spears for the archers, they will need them more than their bows."

Fa Chian looked at him with curiosity, not sure what Harry had planned. He only hoped that it would work.

* * *

The plains of Gar'etha were vast, stretching out near completely flat for miles. Ambushing someone here would be nearly impossible but the terrain was easy to traverse and one of the best land based trade routes ran through it.

The armies of the rogue states marched confidently through it, sure of their superior numbers and the invincibility which came with it. They whistled and sang as they marched, certain victory would be theirs.

They were surprised to see men standing in their path, holding the flag of the God Emperor aloft. Far fewer in number than them so it did not trouble them and they lined up for battle, what did puzzle them was the formation the enemy had adopted. It was strange and unusual, instead of being a straight line it was shaped like a conclave bow with its belly facing closest to them. The commander looked in surprise to see that Harry Tyrell himself was leading from the centre of the formation. The commander became excited and started giving orders, hoping to prove his worth by crushing this upstart one and for all.

"ADVANCE!"

 **-x-**

Harry was sweating buckets as he saw the enemy army advancing, if his idea did not work then he had signed the death warrants of all of his men. His own men were no better than he but they trusted their general after all the victories he had led them too, so they stood their ground.

Cavalry meanwhile rode around them and the enemy infantry, engaging the enemy horse on their own. In that they did outnumber the enemy Harry thought, his cavalry stood eighteen thousand while his enemy had only ten thousand with slower horses and weaker armour. He could only trust them to do their job while he did his, so he gritted his teeth and shouted to his men with the aid of magic.

"BRACE & HOLD FAST!" They all raised their shields, spears and swords and braced themselves as the enemy lines and their made contact. The entire line shuddered under the force of thousands of men pressing together, tonnes of flesh and bone colliding but neither willing to give ground. Harry with _Orphanmaker_ in one hand and his shield in the other, stabbed hard into the mouth of one of the enemy soldiers. The rest of his men started jabbing at their enemies whenever they could but the enemy was doing the exact same.

However despite the slowing of the enemy advance, Harry and his men were losing ground in the centre. His flanks were holding strong as his enemy committed more troops to the centre in hope of forcing their way through. Harry's muscles strained as he held desperately onto his shield, jabbing at the enemy whenever he could. He dismissed any doubts that he had made a bad decision because he had to focus on the moment, but as he gave ground to his enemy he could only pray his cavalry did their job otherwise his plan would never work.

 **-x-**

Elsewhere on the battlefield, Harry's cavalry smashed into the enemy cavalry with such force that they shattered under the impact of their attack. Hundreds of men and horses cried out in pain from the initial clash, many dead and more injured as Harry's cavalry pressed their attack.

The will of the enemy broken they took flight, Harry's men cheered full of bloodlust and cut down those they could before turning back towards the enemy infantry and blew the signal their commander had ordered as they charged.

 **-x-**

If you could have seen the battlefield from above you would notice that the original bow shape that Harry's men had assumed now was inverted into a V-shape that the enemy was forcing themselves deeper into in an effort to force their way through Harry's men. Pressure inside grew greater as men became so packed together that they could not lift their swords due to their arms pressed so firmly together. Harry's men in the centre struggled to hold the enemy back while the flanks held strong.

Harry however could barely keep track of how things were progressing given he was with his men in the thickest action with more than a few injuries, mostly bruises and a cut across his cheek from a spear that had come way too close for comfort.

Then he heard the signal horn from his cavalry and with his magic amplifying his voice called out.

"INFANTRY TURN INWARD!"

The men on the flanks turned as commanded just as the cavalry arrived at the rear of the enemy infantry, blocking any escape. With one last burst of energy Harry's men, holding spears and swords at the sides or above their shields counterattacked enough to stop the enemy momentum who were confused at what was happening.

Then the smarter enemy soldiers realised what Harry had done.

A sense of horror descended on the trapped soldiers as they suddenly realised just what trap that they had fallen into. Harry and his men began to slash and jab, forcing their way forwards, pressing hard against the enemy soldiers who had begun to panic and lost all cohesion.

Screams of pain and fear filled the area as the slaughter continued, the ground was slick with blood and entrails, severed limbs and other body parts of the dead and some slipped only to be trampled by their own people as they were forced forward or back depending on whose side you were on. The sights, sounds and smells of that day would be ingrained on their memories and dreams for years to come. None of them had ever seen or heard of a slaughter on a scale of this conducted in a single day.

 **-x-**

Harry watched as any prisoners they had cared to take were stripped and disarmed, while healers tended to the wounded. The prisoners would dig the graves for the slain, make themselves useful alongside his own men and given the scale of that job in might take a few days. His own forces had lost twenty thousand men, some of whom had been with the army since the beginning and the mood in the camp was somewhat sombre but compared to the losses the enemy had taken it was a mere footnote.

A hundred and thirty thousand slain, their bodies literally covered the field. Death on a scale none of them had ever imagined, Harry especially as he helped with the work his mind dwelling on all the lives he had broken today ready to thrown up at any moment. For every death there was a family in mourning, lives broken.

A father, a brother, a husband, a son taken at his hand.

He had never felt so wretched, wishing he had never left Westeros. How much pain might he have saved them then? He wondered and retired to his tent, ignoring the harsh look of Fa Chian who regarded the slaughter as a waste and while Harry would agree wholeheartedly with that, he was more than a little angry at the old man too. If he had known a better way then why had he not revealed it? And if he didn't then who the hell was he to judge?

He had done what had to be done to unify the country and end the constant state of civil war, he hated that to do it had slaughtered so many but what else could he do? Harry decided there and then that while he would always regret his actions he would not dwell on them, he had to move on but how could you do that with something like this he wondered?

One thing for sure though Harry thought to himself as he got a much needed drink, he was going to find somewhere he could be alone for a while. He needed to clear his head.

* * *

 _ **Yin, a few days later…**_

Thirty thousand men and their prisoners marched into Yin where they were greeted by a cheering crowd that lined the streets as they rode or marched, throwing confetti and waving banners from their windows. Harry kept his face impassive as the cheers filled his ears, the men seemed happy he noticed probably enjoying the attention. He decided to let them have it, after all they had worked hard.

He sooner than he would have liked found himself at the gates of the palace while most of his men stayed in the city to enjoy themselves. Fa Chian rode behind him without saying a word, the two men had not spoken since the Battle of Gar'etha as it was now being called and frankly Harry did not give a toss. The old man had wanted him to stay and fight but gave no help in how to do it. If he had no better suggestions then what concern was it of his how Harry had dealt with the threat?

Dismounting Storm he made his way to the throne room with Fa Chian and a party of his best men, the servants all bowed and smiled at the sight of him glad Harry supposed that he had stopped their city from being attacked. Harry gave each a slight nod as he continued on, finally arriving in the throne room which was full of music and colour in celebration of his victory. On his large and elaborate throne the God Emperor sat looking at Harry as if he were his best friend, which instantly put Harry on guard as he knew full well the jealousy and arrogance of the man. He would have to watch his back but for the moment he turned and listened to what the God Emperor to say as he rose from his throne to speak.

"My subjects, today is the greatest day of my reign. So many of the usurpers to my power, lay dead on the plains like the animals that they are. Perhaps the greatest battle in history was fought and won by my general and my troops." He said looking as he tried to look as big and imposing as he could, but still looked like a very small man trying to compensate for his own shortcomings. The clapping of the court and cheers of jubilation sounded very much like it was staged and Harry could see amongst them glares from many of the courtiers, who had no doubt intended to use the situation to their advantage until Harry had come along.

"For his great service by name Harry Tyrell as the Golden Sword of Yi Ti." There was a gasp in the room which implied that this was some sort of ceremonial position and given out very infrequently but for what achievement he was not sure. Harry might be the first person he realised to receive it in a very long time, another thing for the courtiers to be jealous about which made Harry glad he would be leaving soon.

But the God Emperor was not done yet and instead added. "I give you the sword that comes with your position and my own seal as proof of your accomplishments in my name and under my direction." The man nodded to a servant who stepped forward with a medallion made of pure gold, stamped with the symbol of the God Emperor and an image of Yi Ti on the reverse. Then there was the sword which Harry believed to be called a Dao, a single edged sword with a slightly curved tip sometimes referred to as a sabre but this one was clearly not meant to be used in battle. The hilt had been made of what looked like pure gold and stamped again with the God Emperor's Mark and decorated with a dragon motif. The steel was clearly of the finest quality and the scabbard itself was also decorated with a dragon motif in pure gold along with what look like jade. It was an expensive looking sword Harry thought and impressive in its own way given how much effort was given to expressions of vanity was that he gladly accepted both of them mindful of where he was and said nothing but bowed deeply.

But the God Emperor apparently was not yet done and then said.

"Bottles of wine, silks, gold, artwork, books, glassworks, weapons and banners of those who defeated are all yours in my eternal gratitude. A feast will be held tonight at the great victory as more of my treacherous subjects returned to the fold and my army grows ever larger." The God Emperor said his smile wide that Harry was not so naive and saw in his eyes look of sick anticipation, whatever he was being given he was unlikely to keep and suspected he would probably be dead by morning. So he decided to keep up with appearances for now and then vanish at the first opportunity even if he had to miss the feast where he would probably be poisoned.

After all it would be easy for the God Emperor to claim that that his enemies had done it in revenge of Harry defeating them or failing that that he had been unable to tolerate their food, well Harry thought to himself as he bowed to the God Emperor and then left for his room you will be in for a shock.

 **-x-**

When he arrived in his room he discovered that the God Emperor had actually been true to his word and all of the so-called rewards that he had been promised were waiting there for him. It was an impressive collection and would take up several of his chests that he had stored up to hold it all, but at least they would be able to furnish a castle if he ever got what of his own he thought.

After packing it all up he decided to go for a walk before he made his escape to make sure that no one realised he was about to run, when suddenly he heard a cry of some sort nearby. Confused he walked over to the window of his room and looked outside only to see an absolutely horrible sight.

All the high born male prisoners that he had taken throughout his campaign where suspended in cages along the courtyard, exposed to the sun and stripped naked but more crucially they were all dead. Harry was absolutely frozen as he looked upon the mass of corpses left on display like some gruesome art show, the injuries on their bodies revealing the manner of their death, a great many small cuts inflicted over a long period of time which bled slowly be surely. The Lingering Death Harry thought with shock also known as Death by a Thousand Cuts, one of the most painful and prolonged agonies and forms of execution practised in all of Essos.

He had been assured when he started this that the prisoners he had taken would be hostages, prisoners yes but otherwise would not be killed. His anger began to grow, the Princess had promised them that this sort of thing would not happen and it seems she was not a woman of her word. He seized his pack and strapped it to his back ready at a moment's notice to get out of here if he had to, he would first though go and see the Princess and demand an explanation of this. If the men had been treated to this he did not even want to think about what would happen to the women and the girls he had taken prisoner. Pulling the hood of his leather coat over his head to hide his face and casting a notice me not charm on himself he quickly left his room and started moving through the corridors without being noticed by the guards until he found his way into the Princess's own quarters where she and her husband sat on one of the sofas. Seeing them there seemingly without a care in the world only made Harry angrier, so he cancelled charms as he burst of the door shocking both of them.

"Harry! What are you doing here?" The Princess Bathi asked straightening her dress which was nearly slipping from the shoulders, her husband was about to ask the same question but Harry silenced him with a firm glare which then was turned on the Princess herself. Harry's anger boiled inside him, asking his own question instead of answering hers.

"You lied to me about our prisoners. I saw them in the courtyard! What have you done with the other ones? Answer me." His mood was so soured that he ignored any courtesy that might be expected of someone of her rank to be given.

The princess looked shattered by the question and her gaze fell to the floor, her husband likewise both looking ashamed until she answered the question.

"My father's power remains as absolute now in the palace as it was when you left. Moment that the prisoners arrived he would have them put to death using the method that you just saw. I tried to convince him not to do it but he was determined to see them suffer although I was able to wed the females to allies of mine here at court which has only increased my own power so thankfully now I'm in a position to strike him and assumed the throne myself. I promise you Harry I had no idea it would happen, and my first order of business when I become Empress will be to have the practice banned. I'm so sorry I had never meant to mislead you." Tears were forming in her eyes as she looked at him and while he could sense that while she was indeed telling the truth the tears were not genuine, he could tell her body movements were too perfect for it to be natural, another attempt at manipulation. So he told her in a voice that could have rivalled the Wall of the North for how cold it was.

"I am leaving this accursed country now, and I hope that you succeed in your efforts but I wish to never see any more of this place. Goodbye God Empress." And with that Harry immediately left the room and a very unsettled Princess behind. He went to the stables retrieved Storm and with Orion on his shoulder, he rode out of the Palace towards the harbour. His only stop was to acquire the things that he'd missed getting when this business with God Emperor had started, the rice seeds and knowledge to grow it before heading straight to the nearest ship that would take him away from here.

The hustle and bustle of the port was unfortunately making it very difficult for him to make any progress and his temper only kept mounting until the cry of someone drew his attention towards the sky. He looked up and saw of great creature that seem to be almost swimming through the sky, its long body graceful as it ducked in and out of the clouds undulating occasionally as it moved. Its head was enormous, larger than any ship Harry had ever seen, with rows of white sharp teeth and its scales mass of different reds and yellows. It was a Sky Dragon Harry thought to himself and all his bad mood was temporarily forgotten as he watched the majestic creature that had not been seen for hundreds of years appear over the capital.

Harry was transfixed as he looked at the enormous creature, so much so that he nearly jumped when someone started talking behind him.

"Beautiful beings aren't they?" Harry turned around and his hands went for his swords, anticipating an attack and they firmly stayed on the hilts as he realised that it was the faceless man, the one with the red and white hair that he had met in Braavos again.

"So it was you that I saw before." Harry said his irritation returning very quickly. He did not trust these people at all and now would seem that one was following him. So he decided to ask the first question that had popped into his mind. "Why are you here?"

The faceless man did not seem perturbed by Harry's scowling face, in fact he smiled even wider. He told Harry in a matter of fact kind of way.

"You have done well in assembling your own fortune and learning the skills that will one day serve you very well in the great game, but now you need to go to the ruins of Valyria. Interest in visiting the place has been whispered by a number of individuals who we would prefer not to discover the vast resources that lie there still, a certain pirate in particular. So you must go immediately to recover everything of value that still lies in that shattered cities, so does not fall into the wrong hands. Your powers should protect you, after that you are free of us to travel as you wish. Fate will guide you to where you need to be after that."

Harry was momentarily struck dumb by what the faceless man was asking him to do, given the destruction that had shattered the Valyria Peninsula he did not imagine there would be much there left to salvage. But that being said if any magical knowledge at all that survived not to mention dragon eggs potentially and the knowledge of how to hatch, train and breed them it could well be worth the trip. The toxic gases that filled the air and doomed many of the people who tried to visit the ruins in the past would not necessarily be a problem to him because he had the bubblehead charm, it would be relatively easy to engrave a mask with a runic version of the charm allowing him to breathe as long as he had it on and his tent could be modified with the same charm to give him a safe haven while he explored the ruins. It was however still one hell of a risk given that he did not know what was inside the ruins of the freehold so we had just one question to ask to see if it would be worth it.

"I will be free of you and your kind's meddling?" Harry asked him and the faceless man continued to smile and said.

"Indeed, you have much to do as do we. Many pieces still have to be put into place before the greatest game begins. So will you go?" The faceless man asked him and Harry sighed deeply feeling they was going to regret this before he answered.

"Where is the ship going nearest to there? It seems I have a boat to catch."

* * *

 _Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, let me know what you thought by reviewing._

 _The chapter so many of you requested comes next…Valyria._

 _The template for Princess Bathi was Gemma Chan of 'Humans' fame._


	8. Chapter 8 Ruins of the Dragonlords

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _Thanks to everyone that read the last chapter and another thank you to those that reviewed. Real life is so busy these days it is a real boost to hear from all of you._

 **Chapter 8 – Ruins of the Dragonlords**

 _ **The edge of the Smoking Sea…**_

Harry sailed his small boat to the edge of the Smoking Sea and gulped visibly at the sight of it, many men had tried to sail this sea and so far as he knew none of them had ever come back. Of all the things he had ever done or the risks he had taken…this was the most foolish at least in his mind. Aside from the danger of the smoke and the rocks that would be next to invisible in the water, there were legends of krakens haunting these waters and who knows what else, Harry was definitely hoping that the reward was worth the chance he was taking.

He however had the advantage of some other worldly knowledge from the Resurrection Stone, calling on people who had experienced the Smoking Sea before like Gerion Lannister he had discovered the air itself was thick with gases that choked them, that gave him the information he needed to plan ahead. He looked down at the mask he had created, runic enhanced to create an endless bubblehead charm so he could breathe with a near limitless supply of air and a glass visor to protect his eyes with unbreakable glass. Orion and Storm were both in stasis inside his packed up tent, given the conditions he would not risk them.

He slipped his mask on and took a deep breath, clean air filled his lungs and as he exhaled he felt slightly more confident about his chances but whether or not he was ready to enter the Smoking Sea the current took the decision from him, pushing him into the shrouded area until he could no longer clearly tell where he was. The Point-Me spell allowed him to tell he was being pushed north but that was the extent of it, so he would just have to keep going until he found something.

But as he travelled deeper into the smoke he saw the currents change is heading pulling him away from the north and towards a very sharp and close dense cluster of rocks ahead but he could only just barely see. Harry did not hesitate as he took a firm hold of the steering mechanism he pulled hard with all these might as the small boat was pulled forward by the current towards the rocks, avoiding them sometimes I narrowest of margins. His muscles aching he looked around to see where in the hell he was and it did not make him feel in the slightest better about the situation.

Bits of wood mostly rotted and occasional skeleton stranded on the rocks were grim reminders that clearly he was not the only person to fall into this trap and this went on for quite a while until finally the current delivered him into me large area of open water. It was still shrouded in smoke so he could not see how far it went but from what he could see there were many shipwrecks here, most of them broken beyond recognition but some were still identifiable. The current now dissipated enough for him to regain control Harry carefully steered his boat towards the larger rocks so he could hopefully beach his boat and then get a better view of the area in which he had found himself, it took a bit of effort for him to pull the boat onto the rock enough so it would not simply float away but with the aid of a little magic it was done eventually.

Once he was sure his boat was completely secure Harry began to climb rocky surface, it was slippery with the moisture of the sea but otherwise not impassable with good enough handholds for him to pull himself up. As he reached the top he looked around and saw what amounted to large body of open water surrounded by a ring of rough rocks, Harry could not see all of it clearly given it was mostly shrouded by the smoke but there must be Harry realised to his surprise well over a hundred shipwrecks here. Many of those that came to Valyira never got anywhere close, they ended up here and presumably were smashed to pieces on the rocks.

That was if they had the mercy of a quick death, Harry thought with sympathy. He could not imagine what earth it must have been like for any sailors who had found themselves here. No food, the air itself making it hard to breathe and no fresh water. He shuddered just at the thought of it.

But his thoughts were distracted from the morbid idea of what it would have been like to be stuck here he then noticed something on an adjacent rock. Forgetting his boat for a moment he slid down the rock and leapt the short distance between them so he could get a closer look.

It was a dragon skeleton, possibly hundreds of years old. Harry was taken aback at the size of it, while it was no when near the big as the sky dragons seen in Yi Ti it was enormous with a skull the size of wheelhouse. I was so surprised by the dragon he didn't really notice it had not been alone when it died, it had clearly once had a rider as a male human skeleton was tangled up with the dragons. Little remained to give his identity except for what little of his possessions remained; a strange looking horn that had been styled like a dragon, a torn and weathered cloak and a rather spectacular looking greatsword. Harry picked them up and put the journal and horn into his pouch to examine later while he took a look at the sword.

It was he noticed Valyrian steel, not surprising given it had belonged to a dragonlord. The styling of the crossguard and hilt was unusual, designed to look like arcing lightning bolts. He admired the craftsmanship before strapping it to his back and looking around the area again from his new position, he was now able to see even more wrecks and although he could not be sure there must have been a few hundred ships scattered around the area, some he realised hundreds of years old.

Many Harry noticed as he studied them were smashed to pieces in the middle of the large body of water but some ships were lodged on the rocks, Harry was about to return to his boat so he could dive the wrecks when he noticed things were rising out of the water. Large tentacles that must have extended thirty feet or more. Harry stopped and looked harder, desperate to make out what the creatures were when surprisingly one of them waved a tentacle at him in a friendly fashion. Harry was stopped still in surprise when he finally managed to get a good look at the creatures that inhabited the area. Giant squids or krakens as they were sometimes known, but unlike the vicious creatures of legend Harry knew differently. These ones at least were like the one in the lake at Hogwarts in the other world, they were friendly and Harry smiling to himself in amusement waved back, abandoning plans to dive the area. This was their place and while they might be nice to him while he was standing on a rock, they might not like it if he entered their home. He would keep to the rocks, study the wrecked ships there and head onwards to the ruined peninsula especially as he was not sure his anti-animal runic band would work against the intelligent krakens.

Taking a deep breath of filtered air, he set up his tent to retrieve an empty chest. He had some salvaging to do.

* * *

 _ **Three Days Later…**_

Harry let out an exhausted but triumph cry as he finally managed to set foot on what was left of the Valyrian peninsula. It had taken him this long to transverse the rocks as his boat was continually swept back into the kraken den by the current but eventually he had found a path to the largest remaining part of the peninsula. His time spent searching however had been worthwhile; not only had he managed store the bones of the dragon but he had explored the other wrecks around the area. Most steel had rusted due to the salty air but some journals and maps from the ships had survived by being locked in a chest, like that of the Would-be-Emperor of Valyria Aurion whose skeleton he had found with the dragon skeleton. There had been little else of value on their ships but the map of the Valyrian Peninsula that Aurion had kept in his cabin showed where all the towns and cities where and any other places that might be worth a look. Harry had to thank the current loop now as it had given him something that would make his exploration of the ruins much quicker.

But when Harry finally got a good look at the environment he was taken aback at what he saw. Whatever he had expected could not compare to the devastation he was seeing now; the sky was dark with black clouds so thick they blotted out any sunlight with the only light at all was coming from volcanos that were erupting in the distance, the ground beneath his feet was completely broken and lifeless. Black dragonstone roads were still intact but along them was a sobering reminder of the cataclysm that had happened here. Scorched and twisted skeletons lined the road for as far as his eye could see, Harry swallowed beneath his mask trying hard not think about how those poor people had suffered in the Doom. Running for their lives in terror only to find there was no escape as the air itself choked them or they were burned alive in the eruption. He could tell the air was extremely dry and lacking in moisture from the way it felt against his skin where it was not protected by clothing.

He turned around to see if there was anything else, hoping not to look at the skeletons anymore and was a bit relieved to see a wrecked ship, beached not far from where he had come ashore. It was a Westerosi war galley, a big one Harry noticed at least a few hundred years old his curiosity distracting him for the moment. Ship design in Westeros had not changed much in the centuries since the Doom at least, partly due to the suppression or hoarding of science by the Seven or the Maesters respectively so Harry was able to tell it came from there but more so he could tell it came from the Westerlands…and the golden lion on its bow revealed just which House it had belonged too.

Harry walked towards the ship, trying not to step on any of the skeletons that surrounded it until he was able to get a good grip on the hull and hauled himself up. Part of wood broke away in his hand, nearly sending him back to the ground but he caught another handhold and continued to climb until he reached the deck. More skeletons greeted him and he grimly walked past them towards the main cabin, the door was ajar and fell off the hinge when he pushed it but the room beyond was still in good condition. He cast a lighting charm with his ring to illuminate the dark space and took a step back in surprise when he saw a corpse sitting at the desk. Dressed in lion styled black and red armour tinted with gold in places, an impressive greatsword lay on the desk at which he sat along with a journal, still open on the last page. Leaning over the sword, Harry looked at the single paragraph which judging by the rough way it had been written must have been done in a hurry.

 _If you are reading this, you are dead men. The air itself chokes all life here and it was my foolishness to try and steal the riches of this accursed land. An action that caused the death of myself and my crew, I only fear for my family and hope they will not mourn me or follow my course for as I have discovered it only leads to death. I King Tommen 2_ _nd_ _of House Lannister beseech you to leave while you still have air in your lungs and wish you find the luck I wish I had been given._

Harry picked up the journal and carefully placed it in his pouch, it would be preserved later and would no doubt be worth reading. Then he turned to sword that lay on the desk, it was a striking piece of work easily on par with the other greatsword he had found earlier but unlike that sword he knew this one's name. _Brightroar_ , the ancestral sword of House Lannister lost centuries ago and the lengths that Tywin Lannister had gone to try and find a replacement were a legend in themselves. Harry examined the sword; with its large solid gold lion head pommel, intricate gold patterns and red coloured steel handle before he took it and its equally elaborate scabbard and strapped them to his back before he went to examine the rest of the cabin.

He was not shocked to find a large chest full of gold in the corner, after all the Rock was famous for its gold mines. He shrunk it and placed it in his pouch while going to find anything else worth salvaging. As he entered the lower decks he saw a large rack of armour and weapons, all in relatively good condition and made of high quality steel. He wondered what on earth he would need so much steel for but with a sigh he took the shrunken empty chest off his belt and expanded it back to full size ready to load it full of the steel when he decided to shrink the steel armour and weapons to save space. He could also enlarge them again later he reasoned, so he shrank the steel with a wave of his ring and then scooped it up into the chest. He then shrunk that and clipped it back onto his waist.

He looked around the ship one last time to make sure he hadn't missed anything before he left, climbing down the hull the same way he had come unsettled by this place even more than when he had boarded. He took out the map he had taken off of Aurion's wrecked ship and looked around to confirm where he was.

In the distance he could see two volcano's off to the right with a mountain on the left and a road that ran between them. Looking back at the map he realised he was not so far from the capital of the Valyrian Freehold, named simply Valyria after the peninsula. While he had no idea if it was still intact it was the nearest settlement but without Storm he was going to have to walk it which he estimated would take at least a day. Harry looked at the volcanoes nervously, worried about the glow that showed they were currently erupting but he began down the dragonstone road, not sure of what he would find at its end.

 **-x-**

 _ **Valyria…**_

Harry was impressed at the strength of the dragonstone roads, considering how well it had held together. Without them it would have been far more difficult to find his way to Valyria and he did not want to spend any longer here than he had too, it was also better on his feet then trampling over the broken ground and he had made better time than he had thought with the city being just over the next hill.

Still Harry thought it was creepy as more of the distressed corpses lined the road like he was a grim parade. It went on for miles and there was now definitely more of them Harry realised as he got closer to the city, some even on the roads themselves which he carefully stepped around so as to not disturb them.

When he finally arrived at the top of the hill between him and the city of Valyria Harry stopped to see what was left and he could only gasped at the sight before him.

There had once been a great city and Harry had expected ruined buildings, even collapsed towers but instead most of the city was completely gone. In its place was a massive lake of molten lava that had apparently consumed most of the city. Only a few buildings and towers remained intact, protected by an incredibly large tower made of dragonstone that had fallen and created an unintentional dam, somehow after all this time holding back the lava. Some had even cooled adding a second layer of defence for the remaining buildings.

Harry was stunned, he had never imagined this. So much lost in those fiery depths but at least something had survived he consoled himself, deciding to investigate after a good night's sleep given how tired his feet were. So he took his tent out of his pack and with a wave of his hand it erected itself so he could enter.

Once inside he felt the bubblehead charm ward he had set up and with some relief took off the mask and took a deep breath, glad to finally have the uncomfortable mask off after wearing it for most of the day. He put the mask on the table and went to store _Brightroar_ and the things he had discovered in the shipwreck, it was he realised as he entered getting rather full. Many of the chests were full of treasures and other high value things he could trade or barter with but there was still some chests empty that he could use. He put the chest of gold with the rest of stored treasures and the recovered steel aside in case he found anymore before retiring to the couch area where he could eat some preserved meat and plan for tomorrow.

He drew himself a primitive map of the buildings he had seen from the hill and so he could methodically explore them one by one, he smiled and looked up about to say something when he suddenly remembered he was completely alone. He had no travelling companions now Orion and Storm were in stasis and he had gotten into the habit of talking to them whenever he felt lonely but now he had no-one and it felt…odd.

He sat back on the couch, suddenly uncertain of himself. He had never been alone in his entire life and even on his journeys he had run into people he could talk to or had an animal he could have a rather one sided conversation with. He did not know what to with himself, he could delve back into reading the Chroyane lore he had acquired but who would he share his discoveries with? He finished his meal in silence and checked the runes and wards ensure their strength before retiring to bed. His mind constantly wondering what he might do to elevate his loneliness but aside from summoning up a spirit to talk to there was nothing, so he settled down to sleep.

 **-x-**

When he woke and prepared for the day's work that was ahead of him, Harry was distracted. His dreams last night had not been pleasant, his isolation had influenced them letting him find no solace there but he was hoping that he might find something to distract himself with today. He left his tent where it was and after securing his mask to his face, left for the nearest of the surviving towers all of which were decorated with elaborate carvings and runes and made of dragonstone like the roads that had brought him here.

The closer he got to the lava, the hotter it became. Only numerous cooling charms kept himself from suffering a heat stroke as he arrived at the foot of the first of the three towers that were still standing. He got to the rather gaudy and elaborate main door which was solid steel with large dragons carved into it, it was expensive work and he could only imagine how much they weighed but thankfully a small banishing charm was enough to shift it open so he could enter, squeezing through the gap in the door before taking a look at what lay inside.

It blew him away, the incredible splendour he was seeing here. The tower was covered in marble which stretched high above him, a long winding staircase led into the upper levels and down to the cellars. The walls and ceilings were painted with intricate and colourful images of dragons and scenes that seemed to come straight from fairy tales and there was a coat of arms that must have belonged to the House that once owned this tower on the wall opposite, a black hydra on a silver shield. He marvelled at the sight before he decided to take a look around, first at the cellars and then work his way up the tower before moving on to the next.

So he began to make his way down the grand marble staircase, taking extra care so as to not slip on its smooth surface. It surprised him how long it took to get down to the cellars, almost five minutes but with a lighting charm from his ring he ventured in, wondering what he would find there.

The sound of his footsteps echoed loudly as he moved along the dark passages, seeing nothing in the light his ring was creating except for the occasional corpse. He frowned as he realised that these were probably the slave quarters, food storerooms and kitchens. Food long spoilt and corpses were all he would find here he thought until he nearly tripped on a groove in the floor.

Harry stopped and looked, only really getting a good look when he went to the far end of the room and saw to his surprise a runic array had been carved into the floor. He had only read about this particular one in the private collection of books he had acquired in Chroyane but it seemed that the array supported the tower and kept it upright, by drawing power from the volcanos themselves. Harry shook his head as he realised the folly of such a move, it would give the runes a near endless and incredible source of power but if too much energy was drawn from the volcano it could well trigger an eruption.

Perhaps he wondered if that could be what caused the Doom? After all if too many people drew power from the same volcanos it would have the same effect as someone drawing too much at once. He would look in the rest of the buildings and see if they had similar arrays but it was at least one idea he thought to himself as he made his way back up there stairs towards the atrium and then upwards towards the next floor.

A large banquet hall with a long table made of what looked like carved ironwood standing in the middle. The no remains of rotted food although the abandoned plates with knives and forks were still on the table along with fine crystal glasses, no corpses he was happy to say. But as he cast his eyes around the room and saw portraits of the people that had once owned this place, the sight of children made him gulp. He did his best to push it aside and see if there was anything worth salvaging; the utilities, chalices and plates were made of ornate gold, the fine crystal was beautifully crafted and should fetch a good price but there little else in the room was worth taking.

So once he had swept the golden objects into his pouch or the chest he had brought with him and more carefully collected the crystal glasses, he returned to the steps and continued up the stairs. The echo of his footsteps was so loud that it unsettled him, especially as the light from his ring cast long shadows that honestly he found spooky. He shook his head, forcing himself to remember that there was no-one else here and that he had a job to do.

He was glad when he got to the next floor, this one however contained bedrooms that were devoid of any personal touches although they were well appointed with silk drapes. Guest bedrooms Harry thought and he checked them any way in case something worthwhile hid inside them. For the most part there was nothing but the silk which was valuable but not really that much, however at the foot of each bed was a wooden chest for guest's clothes. That was useful he thought, taking shrinking them and putting them into his pouch, once modified with the space expansion runes it would help some of his storage problems.

Leaving the silks as they were not really worth collecting in their current state, Harry continued his walk up the tower. He soon arrived at the next floor which was rather bland when compared the floor below, guard's barracks Harry thought given the rough beds, sparring ring with archery targets and abundance of steel around him.

Normal steel he saw for the most part much to his disappointment but high quality and there was enough here he realised to equip at least a couple of hundred men. Not only that but to his excitement he saw bows made of dragonbone on racks in the far corner. Dragonbone bows were amongst the best and most scarce in the world, these were a valuable prize on their own. He smiled at his good fortune as he picked both the steel and bows with his magic and shrunk it all down, placing the lot into one of the chests he had brought before he continued up the stairs.

His legs were aching with all the walking but kept on until he reached the next floor where he discovered the family's private apartments. Here was the wealth that had been absent downstairs; expensive paintings and icons, drapes and banners made of silk of better quality that the guest bedrooms, well carved furniture it was astonishing. But the thing Harry was most grateful for was a chair where he finally managed to sit down. How had the family who lived here managed those stairs every day? He honestly asked himself as he rested his aching feet and legs, he was bushed and he had only done it once and still had some way to go.

Once he had a few minutes rest he got back to his feet and started scavenging, taking the artwork first, shrinking it down and placing it into one of his empty chests along with the banners and drapes. Entering the bedrooms he found the beds made and again no sign of any corpses, the wardrobes were only half full of expensive looking clothes and jewellery which he took put in the chest as he moved from room to room. It got a little monotonous but he endured, determined not to miss a thing.

Finally he arrived in the main study where he was blown away by the contents. Hundreds of books lined the wall while above the fireplace, eight swords made of Valyrian steel hung on display. Comfortable couches and seats were scattered around a large goldenheart desk. Harry walked forward eagerly, feeling very much like he had been blessed, the swords alone where a huge find and a quick look at the books showed several of them were on magic. He rushed over to the desk and read some of the papers on it. Apparently this tower had belonged to House Vaena, an old house with holdings in Lys. According to the missive he was reading they had had been attending too some issues there and would be gone for several months. A look at the date indicated they would have been there during the Doom, Harry smiled lucky them. Mere chance made sure that they were absent during the cataclysm, fate could be kind sometimes Harry thought with relief.

With that done he eagerly began summoning the books into a pile in the room where he shrunk them with all the good furniture and put it all into the same chest as he used for valuables. The swords however refused to be shrunk, their magic resisting him so he had to pick them up in a bundle and left them in the now stripped library to finish his exploration of the upper most floor.

He found a shrine of some kind and a few sitting rooms but the only thing with anything worth taking was the last room he discovered a vault which instantly made him excited until he realised that it was sealed and he had no idea what the combination was to open it. He studied it and while it was a complicated lock it should give way to his magic, so he focused the strongest unlocking charm he could and slowly the vault began to give way, the door crept open slowly revealing the contents. A mouth-watering pile of gold, silver and gemstones with a suit of armour made of Valyrian steel and books that looked positively ancient.

Harry smiled, there was no complete Valyrian steel armour anywhere in the world and now he had one. Men everywhere would sell everything for it if that was what Harry chose to do with it, he opened another empty chest and began gathering it all up. Then he realised with dismay he could not shrink the Valyrian steel armour which granted weighed very little but combined with the swords would be a nightmare to carry down all those stairs and back to the tent. He frowned really not wanting to so he returned to the library and picked up the sword bundle before going back up the stairs and carefully put all the pieces of armour into the large bundle.

He was about to turn again for the stairs when he stopped and nearly smacked himself when he remembered there was a quicker way. So cursing himself he took a firm hold and apparated finding himself back at the entrance to his tent and breathed a sigh of relief.

That was one less thing to worry about when he had to leave he thought with relief, but he had some chests to modify before he could continue his salvaging.

* * *

 _ **The next day…**_

Harry was tired as he opened the third tower. The second tower had been just as exhausting as the first to clear out, belonging to House Baelerys it had substantial wealth inside. Two full expanded chests of gold, silver, gemstones, silks, tapestries, silks, books, expensive furniture, artwork and six new Valyrian steel swords with ten daggers made of the same metal had now been added to his fortune. He had even discovered a Valyrian steel dragon staff that was apparently a sign of affluence amongst Valyrian noble women. He had even dared enter what he could of the collapsed tower and found some swords, gold and another staff had survived while everything that was not metal or stone had been destroyed by the intense heat. He had nearly passed out while inside even with the strongest cooling charms and been forced to leave rather quickly.

After that he had looked into the smaller buildings around the towers that were still standing. Most of the other buildings had yielded little worth salvaging with a single exception, one of the buildings had turned out to be a merchant bank. All of the Free Cities had one and it turned out Valyria was no different, its vaults were full of gold and gemstones that amounted to nearly twenty million gold dragons. There might have been more once but lava had consumed most of the lower levels forcing him to stop going any further and instead concentrate on the last tower. One thing he had confirmed though was the runic array that drew power from the volcano had a duplicate in nearly every building. It was proof that his theory about the runes drawing power from the volcanos might have been the cause of the Doom could have some truth in it. It gave him no pleasure to be right in this but at least it was a lesson in underestimating the power of nature. No matter how strong or smart you thought you were, Mother Nature should never be underestimated or you would pay for it with your life.

One thing he had not found rather surprisingly was dragon eggs. He had been so sure he would find loads of them here even petrified ones but so far not a sign. What the hell was going on? Harry asked himself, the dragonlords seemed lacking in any actual dragons around here. Plenty of steel, enough to equip two thousand men now sat shrunken in his tent but no dragon eggs. He could only hope that his luck might change here.

Turning his attention back to the tower when he had finally managed to open the door and enter Harry got a real surprise. A large banner greeted him on the wall opposite, a black field with a red three headed dragon on it… the very same symbol that had once flown over the Red Keep and the rest of Westeros. It still hung in some halls secretly across the continent even if the house it represented was nearly extinct and in exile.

'So not all the Targaryens left Valyria with Daenys the Dreamer and her father Aenar' Harry thought with surprise. There had never been any mention of the Targaryens retaining a presence in the Freehold after the supposed vision that had led to their departure, at least not anywhere he had seen and judging from the tower they were far from poor. He stepped further in and saw to his dismay that there were corpses all over the place, clearly trying to flee during the Doom that had choked them but none had made it further than the atrium.

He carefully stepped over them and looked over the bodies but none had anything worth taking so he ignored them, took the large banner and started walking up the stairs, his legs aching already. He collected any artwork, gold, jewellery or silks he could find before arriving in a solar at the very top of the tower where he saw a skeleton lent over a desk with another skeleton sat in its lap, both dressed in remains of fine silks with a quill in one of the hands. Harry looked at the parchment on the desk and read the message.

 _My brother…Aenar although I know you will never read these words I will write them anyway. It will be my last act in this world but you deserve this much._

 _You were right._

 _I thought you a fool for believing in the dreams of your daughter and giving up all you had to flee to that barren island. I sneered like all the rest of the dragonlords at what I thought was cowardice, now I wish I had heeded your caution as while your family is safe mine will perish here._

 _There is so much left unsaid, I wish that I could see you again but it shall not be so in this life. My dreams are not as useful as your daughter's Aenar but I think you and your children will do great things._

 _Sincerely, Vaegon Targaryen. The foolish dragon._

Harry put the letter down, silent as he absorbed its words. Two brothers at odds who had taken different paths when confronted with the same problem. It sounded oddly similar to him and Loras, always calling the other a fool while sneering behind their back. It made him question whether he should extend more of an olive branch to his older brother. It would be better to try than live in regret Harry realised as he looked down at the body of Vaegon Targaryen and the woman he presumed to be his wife.

Harry did not feel scorn for Vaegon only pity that he had not had more prudence like his brother. Harry finally looked around and saw a library of books and scrolls to collect but also swords similar to _Blackfyre_ on the mantle. One great sword and four smaller longswords along with another Valyrian steel dragon staff coloured gold like the rest, he collected them all and any remaining treasures into his trunk before gathering the swords & staff under his arm in a bundle. Checking for a vault he discovered instead of just gold, Vaegon had stored Glass Candles, two pairs of communication mirrors, three time turners and a few other magical items that Harry would have to study later. It excited Harry more than any piece of gold, magical items that he could use and recreate in time. The unintentional pun actually made him laugh for a moment before he came to his senses.

Once Harry had collected everything worth taking he gladly apparated himself back to base of his tent, he entered and put the trunks and bundle containing his newest finds into the storage area knowing he was going to have to inventory it soon before going to sit down and decide what he was going to do next.

He looked at the map of the Valyrian Peninsula, he rubbed his temples as he thought on where to go next. The other city that looked to have survived the Doom was Rhyos on the north of the island which was a good few days trip away. On foot it would take him at least a four days to reach it but between them was a large estate of some kind which might be worth a look.

Harry sighed before turning the Resurrection Stone in his hand, intent on summoning a spirit to talk to. This prolonged isolation was starting to get to him and he was growing desperate for company, his mind ran through the possibilities of who he could call only to throw the stone on the table when he could not decide. He had started to have trouble sleeping and was getting increasingly paranoid, when he had been in the bank's underground vaults he had been sure for a moment that someone was watching him only for predictably him to find himself completely alone.

He picked up the stone again and looked at it for a moment before he decided to try and get some sleep, if he had a good enough view he might be able to use apparition in the morning to get to the estate quicker and then Rhyos and then hopefully he could leave Valyria for good.

He walked over and threw his clothes in the bin for cleaning before collapsing on the bed where his dreams would remind him of his isolation.

* * *

 _ **The Following Morning…**_

Harry woke early the next morning, eager to get started after the bad night he had experienced. He hiked up the highest hill that faced in the direction of the estate so he could get a good view and then apparated himself as far as he could. He reappeared on the dragonstone road and looked behind him to see he had managed a good few miles, smiling he took out myrish glasses or a telescope as it was known and took another look ahead before making another small jump.

A pattern that repeated itself over and over again as miles were hopped so he did not spend so long on the road. It was exhausting but a journey that would have taken two days normally walking had been completed in just an hour so in his mind it was well worth it.

And as he took a look at whatever the estate was Harry blinked in surprised at the number of dragon skeletons that were around, there had to be at least twenty of them and not small ones either. Not as big as Balerion the Dread but they were no hatchlings either.

He would harvest the bones later he decided, going to the large manse at the centre of the estate that had the largest stable he had ever seen. Easily big enough to hold a thousand horses he thought wondering if this place had trained cavalry for the Freehold army.

He had no problem entering the large manse but it was rather more Spartan than he had thought it would be. More utilitarian with little thought given to decoration Harry decided as he walked through the structure, a barracks instead of bedrooms made him wonder if it was some kind of base for the military of the Freehold. Room after room only had teaching rooms or halls with large exterior doors, made Harry think as his curiosity rose that they were training not only animals but people as well.

When he finally found the library his eyes were drawn to the large tome on the elaborate dragon styled wooden stand. He walked over and read the title, written in fine print.

 _ **Dragons: Breeding and Training by Maekor Velaryon.**_

Harry was instantly smiling under his mask at the book, opening it without a thought to see what he might find inside. He opened to a random passage and read a passage.

 _Dragons are not wild animals. They are intelligent creatures in their own right who we humans have managed to bond with. They must not be confined or mistreated as they will wither and fade without the endless sky as their domain._

Harry was as excited as a small boy having candy for the first time at the find, a genuine guide to hatching and raising dragons. The Targaryens would kill for this he thought and his curiosity on how to hatch the egg he had discovered made him turn to the section on hatching.

 _There are two ways that a dragon can hatch although the second method is far better to use than the first if more difficult._

 _If you lack any magic or a dragon of your own then a sacrifice can awaken a dragon from its egg if the person being slaughtered has magic. This method while somewhat easier is detrimental to the dragon however as it will awaken as more a beast, its mind will not fully develop to the full intelligence that is natural to their species. Their aggression will be heightened and controlling them properly will require difficult training methods._

 _The second method however will allow a dragon to retain its own intelligence and bond closer with whoever hatches it. Their fire will be stronger and they will grow larger than a sacrificially awoken dragon. Magical fire must be used to heat the egg and give the infant dragon the energy it needs to break its shell, normally a dragon would do this for its own young but a human with magical powers can create the same effect with their powers._

Harry was so engrossed in the book that time passed very quickly. Eventually he brought himself back to the present and shrunk the book before slipping it into his pouch to examine it later. He had always intended to find how to hatch a dragon and finally now he knew how and the best part was he did not need anything special just his own magic. He would need somewhere he could raise it once he had learnt how to do it properly, a home of his own. Where that might be he had not decided yet but it would need large open spaces if he was going to train a dragon there.

He collected any other useful texts he could find before going on with his search of the building. His idea that it was a ranch for raising mounts for the Freehold had been correct except it was dragons they bred and raised here and dragon riders they trained, many of young lords came here to train once before receiving their dragon after training it. They might have left when they were ready but it was here they came to get started, which made him wonder if there might be some eggs somewhere. A look around the upper levels revealed nothing but when he crept into the cellar he found the hatchery.

It was a large round room with alcoves in the wall, in each was a small glass box with runes carved into it and inside each box was a large scaly egg. Harry was nearly in tears, there had to be twenty dragon eggs here and while he was nowhere near as stupid to think he could raise that many at once the sight nearly made him cry with excitement. He carefully took a box with an indigo coloured egg inside off the wall and felt the weight. It was heavier than he would have imagined but it was worth the feeling of having it in his hands. He put it back carefully in its alcove, nearly scared stiff of breaking it before getting an empty expanded chest that he had gotten in Valyria and return it to normal size. He slowly and systematically removed each egg and placed it inside the expanded interior of the trunk, now beginning to understand why the Faceless Men had wanted him to come here. The gold was not important but the dragon eggs and magical lore/items were, it was far safer for him to have them rather than whoever the Faceless Men feared might find them.

 **-x-**

Once the eggs were stowed safely in his tent Harry packed it up and got back on the road towards Rhyos. He managed to apparate most of the way before having to stop for a night's rest and a good meal before carrying on the following day. The discovery of the dragon eggs had lifted his spirits and that night he actually dreamt of flying on the back of one. It was the most amazing sensation he had ever imagined. What had confused him slightly was that he was not alone, alongside him at least five people could be seen riding dragons of their own. He wondered who they might have been for a moment before shrugging it off. It was probably just a dream he thought to himself.

When he got up the next morning and took a proper look at Rhyos though he was in for another surprise, the city had been where the peninsula had broken from the mainland and over three quarters of the city had fallen into the sea. Some parts namely the forges on their version of the Street of Steel stayed above the water but most was long gone.

Harry was not however disappointed because the forges were intact, there was one secret he had been desperate to find but had no luck in the first city he had visited as their forges had been in the bottom of a sea of molten lava.

The method for making Valyrian steel. He had found a large number of weapons made of it but nothing about how it was made, perhaps his luck was changing he thought with a glimmer of hope.

So after a good breakfast he made his way to the large buildings and entered the largest, it was almost eerie at the silence where men should have been working, hammering metal into shape but Harry ignored this and looked around for anything worth taking. A lot of regular steel he noticed and some completed Valyrian steel weapons still fresh on the worktops as he went from smithy to smithy.

Soon he had enough normal steel to equip five thousand men altogether. It was more than he had thought and a little more Valyrian steel but it was not until the very last forge he visited that he found what he was looking for. Documents kept in a safe at the back of the building with several large bars of Valyrian steel, Harryv bnearly passed out as he read the documents which described in detail the method required to make the metal and as he looked through the process and discovered the procedure was actually far more complex than he had imagined. In fact it was two distinct processes.

Valyrian steel was an alloy made of several substances including; dragonglass, regular steel (the purer the better) and bronze. Special potions had to be brewed for each of the hard substances to be broken down into a liquid form where a magic wielder could blend them together along with magic to ensure they did not rust or lost its edge later. Infusing dragon fire into the combined liquid before it was then rendered solid again with another potion, usually into a solid bar so it could properly set and the magic could properly be absorbed.

Then once that was done it was then melted down and smelted into whatever object was required, this was why the knowledge of reworking it had survived as it was while delicate work and needed special techniques to work it could be done by a normal smith who had no magic. The documents gave the recipe for each of the potions, materials required and the processes you needed to follow and were now right here in Harry's hand and he quickly shoved them into his pouch along with the bars with a sense of elation. He laughed and thanked whatever god/gods had given him this blessing.

Once he had calmed down Harry breathed out a sigh of relief, and returned to his tent to properly store his new gains and decided where he was going next. Once he had decided he would sail out with his small boat he had shrunken in his tent until he found a port.

 **-x-**

When he left the following morning as he steered his small boat out of the Smoking Sea towards the shipping lanes, Harry was sure that he could see the black sails of another ship entering the Smoking Sea for a moment but then it was gone. He pitied whoever was daring to try it, he had taken anything of value and the air would surely choke them but there was no time to warn them so he looked sadly at where he had seen the sails.

When he finally cleared the Smoking Sea the light of the sun was harsh against his eyes after a month of artificial light or distant volcanic eruptions but its warmth against his body was so nice that Harry closed his eyes to enjoy it and smiled widely. He would never again take something as basic as sunlight for granted after a couple of weeks in Valyria. The cold and dead place was the stuff of nightmares and wherever he went next it would be full of life and with lots of people Harry decided, eager to finally meet some other people after spending so much time alone.

He took off his mask to feel the salty sea breeze against his face and it was glorious he thought, another simple pleasure that he had been denied while searching through the ruins of Valyria. His spirits soared as he sailed his small boat on the sea which was surprisingly gentle today. He even let Orion out of stasis so his bird could finally stretch his wings after being suspended for so long. The hawk screeched in pleasure as he cruised overhead. Dolphins jumped around him and he laughed in enjoyment at the sight, after so long in the dark everything he thought was right with the world at last.

Then after over an hour of seeing nothing but fish, dolphins and birds he saw a ship on the horizon. This was not unexpected after all he was on the shipping lanes but the smile dimmed as it came into sight, he was not sure why but he had a bad feeling about it especially as it seemed to be altering course to intercept him.

His mood did not improve as he connected with his magic to Orion and through his hawk's eyes, he could see the ship had the symbol of Volantese slavers on its orange sails. He began to frown and was about to call Orion to him so that he could just apparate away but then an arrow flew just past his hawk, followed closely by another. Orion screeched as he evaded them and flew down to shelter around Harry's small one man sail boat.

Harry was immediately furious enough to stop planning to run away, take shots at him if you wanted but no one tries to kill his bird. He let go of the wheel and waited for them to get closer, his hands going to his swords and the knives on his belt. Orion peaked out from behind him, trying to see if it was safe to fly again while Harry's face turns into an emotionless mask as the slavers approached.

The Slave galley is a large ship that easily dwarfed his own tiny little boat but Harry did not care as it came alongside. He just took one look into the eyes of the first slaver that caught his eye and read their mind, they had only shot at Orion for fun. To wound his bird and then if they could be bothered to capture it alive before tormenting it for a few days by breaking its wings and then plucking its feathers out one by one. With that all reason left Harry and he sneered as he apparated on the deck of the Slaver ship.

The slavers were immediately stunned by his appearance, so much so that two were easily skewered with _Orphanmaker_ and _Blackfyre_. Harry wasted no time in pulling his swords free and moving forward along the deck towards the rest of the slavers who finally regained their senses and were drawing whatever weapons that had to hand. Mostly spears or curved swords but they were confident in their larger number, so they charged in like madmen or drunken men as half of them stank of ale.

Harry was glad he did not wear any heavy armour right now, it meant he was able move more easily and strike out it passing slashes and thrusts which his enemies where unable to block or evade due to half of them being drunk and the others were unskilled, deflecting or side stepping their clumsy attacks with ease. The first pass left six men dead and only twenty left on the deck, but as the slavers were reorganising Harry heard a voices talking.

Harry thought the noise came from below him so he briefly looked down and saw slaves peaking up from under the grating he was standing on. Harry became even more furious and stepped back so he could swing both his swords down on the locks that held the cage shut, it broke easily and he pulled it open telling the slaves.

"Your freedom is out there, take it!" He urged them and then charged the slavers himself. The male slaves in the hold did not hesitate and followed Harry without fear, they were all well-built fighters Harry noticed as they attacked the slavers with their bare hands or weapons dropped by dead slavers. They were handling the situation like experienced warriors Harry noticed and the slavers quickly began to panic as the slaughter continued.

One man stood above the rest Harry noticed, tall at least six foot seven and with muscles that looked as if they could bench-press people with ease. He was bald and dark skinned but the way he had in a flash disarmed a slaver and now with the man's scimitar was cutting through the slavers even quicker than Harry himself, well Harry was filled with admiration as they worked to clear the deck.

He could not match the man's speed or precision, not a single wasted strike or a wrong step. With him and the other men's skill, the deck was clear within minutes. Harry his heart still thundering in his chest turned to ask the exceptionally skilled giant of a man.

"Any more?"

"No, the ship is ours." The man said in a voice that was deep and strong, Harry could almost sense the strong will and discipline that had made this man so good a warrior. He turned to Harry and gave a slight bow. "Thank you, this is a dream I have had many times. Slaughtering the swine that held the whip and lorded their power over us. What is your name?" The warrior asked. The other men all looked at his with both suspicion and interest.

"I am Harry Tyrell and from today you are all free men." Harry decreed and the men cheered wildly, as did the women that were now emerging from the hold. Harry turned to the man and asked. "What is your name? A man as skilled as you would surely be a legend."

The man laughed while his men smirked.

"I am Kanoro and unless you have been to the fighting pits you would never know my name or those of my associates; Crixus, Barca, Sula and Gannicus. All champion pit fighters who were told to fight to the death." Kanoro said and Harry looked at the four other men and he could well believe that they were pit fighters. Muscles that looked as hard as granite and the simplest leather clothing of a slave but each looked deadly with a weapon in their hand.

Crixus was the tallest after Kanoro, looking almost northern with his grey eyes and shaggy dark brown hair. Not to mention there was a fierceness to him that was more beast than man, his sword was dripping with the blood of slavers who had fallen in his sight and he was still snarling at their corpses hoping they would get up so he could kill them again. He then turned to Harry and of all the slaves so far was the one that looked at Harry with the most suspicion but said nothing glad to be free at the moment.

Barca was a spearman, Harry thought given the expert way he had slaughtered slavers with the one he had picked up. Tanned skin and long black dreadlocks, he was hard to place in origin. One thing Harry did notice about him that he was the most the glad of all of them to be free and grateful to Harry for that juging by his warm and friendly smile.

Sula was Yitish and had moved like a dancer, never still always in motion and cut them down with surgical precision moving fluidly from one to the next. His long dark hair was tied into a ponytail and while the slimmest and less muscular of the group, he stood shoulder to shoulder with them as an equal and looked to be the calmest of the group.

Gannicus meanwhile was the hardest to read, like Crixus he looked Northern in origin but he was far calmer than the former. He had the blue eyes that looked close enough to grey to be confused and wore his long brown hair in a ponytail like Sula but he was not looking as pleased to be free as the others. A quick look through his mind showed that he enjoyed the women and food which were given to him for being a champion but also wanted the freedom to control his own decisions, a conflict that had given him more than one sleepless night.

Harry was about to tell them that he would leave them to decide their own fate as soon as they made port but something stopped him. Perhaps it was being amongst people again but he did not want to part with them just yet. They would need to find somewhere safe to stay, or keep the ship going to stay ahead of slavers if they came looking for them and he himself still wanted to travel, so for a while at least their goals were aligned. With that in mind, Harry looked at the crowd of slaves that were emerging from the hold; men, women and children alike and spoke to them all.

"Aboard this ship, no one will live in chains." He shouted and there was an excited and shocked cry ran across the deck. "This ship…a former symbol of slavery will be our means of freedom. To sail this world as free men and women with no responsibility but to each other. To go where we wish, when we choose to. Are you with me?" Harry asked and the freed slaves cheered wildly at the idea, led by the pit fighters except Kanoro who nodded approvingly at Harry which he returned.

He had no idea where they were heading first, the Far East perhaps? Assahi even? Either way it was going to be a lot of fun Harry thought as he took the wheel of the ship. Kanoro stood at his side like a first mate would and that at least was one decision made Harry thought with glee as he turned to ship to head around the Smoking Sea and head to east.

* * *

 _ **The Silence, the Smoking Sea a few weeks later…**_

Euron let out a furious cry as he threw yet another piece of worthless junk away from him in disgust. Was there nothing worth taking? He asked himself as he smashed more useless clay and stone objects. He had spent much time torturing that alchemist until he had found the potion that when soaked into rags allowed you to breathe in the Ruins of Valyria, the man was currently tongue less in a box in the main hold well he would be missing more than his tongue when he was through venting is displeasure Euron thought to himself, he had been sur this would be his fortune to take only to be bitterly disappointed. But there was one thing he was sure of…someone had beaten him here.

He did not know who but there were signs that one person had been here recently and taken everything of value.

Euron became very still for a moment as he came to a decision, he would find whoever the fuck had been here first and gut him like a fish. In one last howl of rage he kicked at a broken wall, his rage sending the rocks flying and was about to storm back to his ship when a glint caught his eye amongst the rubble. He pushed the dust and rocks aside and saw something that actually made him smile.

A vicious looking double bladed battle-axe previously hidden by the rocks, the steel was so dark that it was as close to black as it could get with the distinctive ripples of Valyrian steel. Multiple sharp prongs added to its appeal in Euron's eyes but what really made him think the axe had been made for him was the tentacles that had been styled into the metal for decoration, connected to a staff of iron wood the strongest known wood in the world. He picked it up with madness burning in his eyes, he gave it a few test swings and found its balance was perfect deciding to call it _Reaver_ in honour of his way of life that he fucking enjoyed every moment of.

Laughing all the way he returned to his ship without giving the worthless ruins a backward glance, ready to get back to sailing where he was he thought with pride the Drowned God incarnate. But at the back of his mind he remembered that someone had stolen the spoils he would have found here and he would take his bloody due Euron thought to himself, while swinging his axe into the head of the thief.

* * *

 _Only a brief appearance by Euron here but this is only the prelude to his next appearance._

 _Hope the chapter was worth the wait, please let me know what you thought with a review._


	9. Chapter 9 Summer Islands

Disclaimer: _I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _I can't thank you guys enough for all your support, it means the world when I am struggling. This is the beginning of the end of the first act of the story. Soon Harry will be returning to Westeros._

 _Warning – Bad Language_

 **Chapter 9 – Summer Islands and a New Mission**

 _ **The Liberty a few months later, Unknown Location…**_

The former slave galley now cruised through the calm and warm waters of the Summer Sea. It was a lovely day with the sun shining in the sky, a strong but cool wind pushing them forward and the rocking of the boat gentle for all those on-board.

There was excitement on the deck as the passengers and crew watched their captain and quartermaster/first mate engage in a duel, both men giving their all to try and out do the other using dulled wooden blades in place of real steel. One the younger wielded two smaller wooden swords while the older used a great sword, the size of their weapons was inconsequential as they both moved with a blistering speed, the sound of wood smashing together filling the deck and the onlookers swapped coin and cheered for whoever they thought would win.

Harry was sweating from effort but enjoyed the spar with Kanoro immensely, the man was the greatest swordsman he had ever met, perhaps even a match of Ser Barristan Selmy himself. Raised with a sword in his hand he had learned nearly all there was to learn with the blade and become a champion pit fighter, an expert trainer and even been allowed to have a family in the hope his bloodline would prove a good investment by his then owner. Calla and their young son Maekor cheered for him from the side as Kanoro proved his superiority by blocking his every strike and forcing Harry onto the defence, Kanoro was completely calm planning his moves out nearly three or four steps ahead of Harry who could only just hold him off and still took more than a few hits as Kanoro found his way through Harry's desperate defence.

Bruises on his arms, legs and chest slowed Harry till he felt the blunt wooden tip of Kanoro's sword at his throat, Harry sighed and dropped his swords in defeat but Kanoro gripped his shoulder and told him to soften the loss.

"Your skill with a blade is improving." Kanoro said and Harry replied with a smile.

"And yours remains as unbeatable as ever. Tomorrow?" He asked wondering when he could spar with him again and Kanoro laughed.

"Midday." He said and the two men bumped fists before Kanoro went to stand with his wife and son who squealed in delight as his father lifted him high into the air and then brought him down to rest against his chest while his wife Calla hugged her husband and son.

Harry watched them with a smile, of all the crew he got on with Kanoro best. They had a deep respect for each other's abilities and faith in each other to do the right thing for their people.

Speaking of which Harry turned to look at the rest of his crew; Crixus, Gannicus and their lovers Naevia and Saxa stood at the bow of the ship talking. The foursome had come from the Far North in Westeros, sold by their own people to Tyroshi slavers for food and steel and been in the fighting pits ever since. Crixus was the most outspoken of his crew, the most frequent to challenge him but so far the two got on fairly well most of the time and after Kanoro and Harry he was the best swordsman on the ship.

Then his eyes caught sight of Sula, a Yitish man who had been ambushed while travelling the country and sold into the pits. He was the most stern of the group, never smiling and when asked why he would only say.

"When I have regained my honour, then I will smile…not before."

Harry could only wish the man luck, he held himself to ridiculously high standards that no man could hope to achieve and that Harry feared could one day be his undoing but he was steadfast in his choice and no one would shake him from his own course.

Sula was talking to Barca, the last of the pit fighters on this ship. He was smiling as he did every time he came out on deck, raised on ships he was comforted by the sights and smells of the sea. He would have happily stayed a sailor his whole life if his ship had not been hit by pirates who sold him to pay their tavern bills. Sula and Barca were lovers but none of his crew batted an eyelid, Harry found it incredible that sexuality was so repressed in Westeros whereas in Essos and other places it simply did not matter. It made him only wonder what kind of moron had thought that sex was just for making babies and sinful if done out of wedlock not to mention its views on women and then built a whole religion on it. He might be an andal himself but honestly he thought those who followed the Seven were the victims of a very stupid idea.

Then with a sigh at the idiocy that was the Seven, Harry looked at the last noteworthy member of his crew. This one a woman, aged only twenty or so and with Valyrian blood; purple eyes and silver hair cut to her shoulders. Caelys Baelerys or Cael as she preferred to be known sat with her daughter Noelle in her lap on the steps leading to the main deck, Noelle pointing out the sight of dolphins excitedly while her mother told her what they were.

Caelys was actually a descendant of the members of House Baelerys that had survived the Doom by being in Volantis at the time, although the family had fallen on hard times. The last of their wealth had been exhausted when Caelys had been young and her parents had sold their own educated daughter into slavery so at least she would be fed while they disappeared into the lowest slums of the city presumably to starve to death. Being able to read and write had made her very useful and being of Valyrian blood ensured her a place in the household of the ruling families, but her real skill was in healing and midwifery learned from her own mother before her disappearance. Noelle was the product of being raped by one of the sons of a family she was serving, an act that had scarred Caelys deeply and seen her sold immediately like it was her fault Harry thought angrily but she had found solace in caring for her little daughter and who would now see the world as a free girl while Caelys served as the ship's healer.

Harry found it comforting having them around him, he had never really had a team to work with before but someone being there to watch his back and not have to rely on himself to get things done was nice, not to mention having the company after the long isolation of being in Valyria. As Orion flew down and perched himself on Harry's shoulder he pondered on their journey so far as he stroked his hawk's plumage. The _Liberty_ had carried them far; they had sailed to Asshai, Great Morag & the Cinnamon Straits and ridden the elephants there, explored Vahar and the coast of Sothoryos and Naath with the aid of runic bands to keep the various natural hazards away. There Harry had found and taken several plant species worth cultivating for medicinal purposes and for food such as coco plants, several new types of fruit and coffee beans. Once he had somewhere to grow fresh plants and was sure how to cultivate them they would be nice earners he thought to himself.

It had Harry thought with joy, been a good time for all of them. Wandering wherever they pleased and just travelling for the sake of it, working only when they chose. They were currently heading for the Summer Isles to deliver the Princess of those islands home after saving her from pirates near the Basilisk Isles. She was currently sleeping in Harry's cabin after showing him her 'appreciation' all night. He had never seen such sexual liberation in a woman before last night, she had skills he had never even heard and it did nearly bring a goofy grin to his face.

He went to the helm and took over from the crewman who had been steering their course, he was checked the maps and charts with the equipment to ascertain that their course was correct and looked back to the endless horizon once he was sure it was. He felt the rough wood under his hands and it comforted him, the sense of freedom that this ship gave but his smile dimmed as he thought on the dream he had experienced after finally falling asleep last night.

 _ **Dream begins…**_

 _Harry found himself standing in the middle of a road in the centre of a city, he did not know where he was and his confusion made him look for any sign that might offer a clue to his location._

 _The city he was in chaos, although he could see no one he heard the screams of people and the clash of steel on steel all around him. Fire from several buildings lit up the dark night's sky casting long shadows on the ground and against the buildings. He finally looked down at himself and saw he was wearing steel plate armour, good quality work too he noted but when he looked down he saw that both Orphanmaker and Blackfyre were in his hands and blood was dripping from them both._

 _He heard footsteps and turned quickly around to see a young woman about his age or maybe a little younger staring at him. He was drawn to her for reasons he could not explain; her long thick dark hair falling to her waist with the fire dancing in her hypnotic purple eyes._

 _ **Dream ends…**_

Harry frowned as he pondered on his dream, he knew it could mean nothing but he had been having the same dream or slight variations on it for a while now. Sometimes he was standing on a long bridge with the woman staring at him from the other side, other times he was leading men through the gates of the city and she was at his side along with Kanoro and the rest of his men and many others he did not recognise.

They felt like no vision he had ever had before, the smells and sensations were as strong as if he was really there, more like the visions he had experienced in the Tower of the Undying in Qarth. It disturbed him slightly; when was all of this happening? What city where they apparently attacking and more crucially why? It worried Harry who had little clue to the answers, hoping it was a figment of his imagination but at the same time he could not shake the images from his mind.

A distraction however provided a temporary relief from these thoughts as Caelys and Noelle came up to him with a wide smile each.

"Is it true there are fifty islands in the Summer Isles Captain Harry?" Noelle asked him with her face alight with childish curiosity, Caelys and he shared a smile at the little girl's enthusiasm. She saw this as one long and happy adventure that she and her mother had embarked on, the days when she and her mother had been slaves did not dim her enjoyment of the present.

"Indeed that is what they say my lady." Harry said with a slightly over exaggerated bow that made the little girl giggle. "No one knows exactly how many islands there really are so perhaps there are more than fifty." He suggested and the little girl suddenly looked even more excited and started talking very quickly.

"Can we see them all captain?" Noelle begged, jumping up and down in pure excitement which made Harry and Caelys laugh before she decided to lift her daughter up into her arms and say sternly.

"Noelle the captain has focus on sailing the ship otherwise, otherwise we won't see the islands at all. Now it is time you practiced your reading and writing young lady." Caelys told her and Noelle quickly looked distraught.

"But mommy…" She did not want to leave the deck and stare at boring old books. She wanted to see more of the dolphins or talk to the captain again but her mother gave her one of her stares that stopped any further argument and reluctantly she pouted and gave in to her mother's command.

Caelys mouthed 'Thank you' to Harry who nodded, he had provided the books she had started using to teach the children on-board (of which there were only five) to read and write. One of the few in the crew that could she had taken it upon herself to give them this skill that few in this world had, Caelys and he had agreed that it would be good to teach them all as an extra weapon in their arsenal which would help them survive.

He watched as Caelys went around the deck and collected the other children to teach them while the adults got on with their work. Harry took a moment to enjoy the relative peace of the moment, trying to avoid his thoughts turning back to the dream but the smile faded from his face as the images came again.

Whatever was going to happen…if it did he thought hopefully was going to happen soon. He looked no older than he did now and it was the same with the rest of his crew, he had the horrible feeling that this good life they had all enjoyed so far was coming to a close.

* * *

A day later the crew had gathered on deck as largest of the Summer Isles, Jhala came into view. It was a welcome sight to the Princess who stood amongst them in her fine green and yellow feather cloak, looking distinctly out of place with the simple leather and cotton the crew wore but she did not care about that. She was finally home and the sight of land was a blessed relief to some of the crew as well after the rocking of the ship had shaken their stomachs.

Harry himself was full of excitement, he had always wanted to visit the Summer Islands. They had sounded so exotic when he was reading about them back in Oldtown what seemed like a lifetime ago now he thought wearily, he honestly was not sure how long he had been travelling but he was glad to finally have the chance to see the islands that had so interested him as a boy. He was not the only one that was excited as he could see Noelle pointing excitedly towards the island to her mother while the rest of the crew chatted, eager to explore the island.

Harry steered the ship towards the port city called Ebonhead, which itself sat on the mouth of the Sweet Lotus Valley. It was the area the Princess's brother ruled so he was hoping for a warm welcome and indeed a welcoming party was there to greet them. A large procession of men and women in feathered capes, all ebony skinned like the Princess and as soon as they docked a man began running along the quay to greet them while the Princess leapt from the deck and started running to. When they met in the middle their arms wrapped themselves into as tight a hug as possible.

Harry and his crew at least took the time to moor and anchor their ship before disembarking while the Prince's procession waited for him to finish talking to his sister. Eventually they broke apart and walked over to talk with Harry and his crew.

"I owe you a great debt captain, when the pirates took her I feared that I would never see my sister again. Please accept my hospitality for a few days while we celebrate her return." The Prince said with a wide smile, his entourage looked excited hoping clearly for a festival.

Harry and his crew, smiled and graciously accepted the offer. Harry himself was looking intently around the port city and was struck by the grace and beauty that these people had put into their buildings, even the small houses not unlike the Rhoynar he realised who had been the same with their cities while they still lived in Essos. He had heard some of them had settled on one of the islands here. He wondered if they might like to trade for some of their lost lore, it might be worth investigating he thought but for now he intended to enjoy Jhala.

 **-x-**

The lush greenery and dazzling array of flowers was a salve on the soul to anyone who could enjoy such things Harry thought, he felt refreshed just standing here looking at it all from the window of the palace. The warmth of the day was not stifling and a cool breeze made it pleasant to just stand there and enjoy the view.

The people here were unlike any he had encountered in all of his travels so far, sexually liberated and seemingly without a single care. They lived in harmony with their environment and took only what they needed to live while giving just as much back, caring deeply for their lands as one would for a child in your care.

His men had enjoyed sharing the beds of the women here, the coin they had gathered on their journey seemingly well spent judging from their wide and slightly silly smiles they all had the following day. Caelys had been exploring the city with Noelle to look at some of their healing methods although both had Barca and Sula at their sides for protection at all times. However friendly the natives apparently were he had laid down strict rules for his crew, travel in pairs or groups and check back with the ship every night if they were going to stay anywhere else.

He knew greed and hatred crossed the boundaries of culture, however liberated or carefree that the locals seemed he was not going to let his guard down or let his crew fall into danger. Better to be careful than careless he thought to himself.

He dressed and went to join the prince at the festival grounds where today some of the main events would be held. Similar to a tourney back in Westeros except here it was a little different, no jousting for one and the melee if you could call it that was a one on one contest between the most skilled competitors. Archery was more or less the same but he could not help but agree with their swordsmanship competition, it was a much finer test of skill than the chaotic small battles in a tourney. Speaking of archery he took one of the dragonbone bows he had taken from Valyria and wrapped it in simple cloth, it was the custom here to exchange gifts and since he and his people had been granted the Prince's personal hospitality it seemed like they should give at least something in return.

He took the wrapped bow and was wondering if he could try and introduce such changes to a tourney back home as he walked down the perfumed corridors and out onto the festival grounds. The swordsmanship had already started and he could see his own men participating or cheering from the stands, meanwhile in the central circle he saw Kanoro was fighting. The experienced warrior was easily besting the Summer Islanders who were more known for their archery than swordsmanship. Harry smiled and walked over to the Prince who beckoned him to sit at his side.

"Your man is truly gifted, our shores have never seen the likes of his skill before." The Prince said and Harry nodded in agreement as Kanoro took down his opponent without suffering a scratch. Harry then took his gift and presented it to the Prince who looked at it strangely.

"A gift in thanks for your hospitality, my men and I have enjoyed our time here immensely." Harry said and the Prince took the bundle and told him with a bemused smile.

"It is I that owes you the debt for rescuing my sister, you need not give me anything captain." The Prince, he nonetheless took the bundle and carefully unwrapped it, his eyes widening when he saw what it was. Harry knew why, dragonbone bows were amongst the best in the world for the strength and flexibility and as the dragons were extinct (for now Harry thought quietly to himself) had become extremely rare. This one in particular had belonged to a nobleman who had had it carved with elaborate patterns, the Prince seemed delighted with the gift and graciously took it.

The two men turned to see another fight beginning, this time it was Crixus versing a sellsword from Volantis. Harry smirked knowing the outcome before it had even started, while skilled Crixus was the image of a savage in the fight his leathers rough and his face snarling enough to nearly make the sellsword piss himself. All part of Crixus' methods, scare your opponent witless and then slaughter him while he was unbalanced. With a loud roar Crixus stormed forward in a heavy run that made the sellsword turn and run out of the circle and towards the harbour. Harry joined in the laughter that filled the makeshift ring while he clapped and cheered for Crixus who stood there looking very smug, the man was a master and that was worth respecting.

 **-x-**

Unbeknown to Harry and his crew, a small ship from Braavos arrived in the harbour, it had only one passenger who disembarked quickly and without a sound. He merged with the crowds of the harbour and moved quietly through the mass of people. His face was hidden by his hood but underneath if someone cared to look there was a man's face with red and white hair.

* * *

Later the following day, Harry cheered as Kanoro bested his last opponent and won the competition. Crixus had missed his next fight and therefore had lost his place in the competition although from the way he smiled he did not care, Naevia saw to that by soothing his wounded ego. She was currently perched on his lap rubbing his leg while smirking at having the big strong warrior so easily in her grasp. Harry could only laugh at the pair quietly to himself but he only felt slightly jealous, apart from a few nights with some women on his travels he had yet to find the same kind of bond that Kanoro, Crixus and Gannicus had with their partners. However they went about showing it, all were clearly in love with their significant other and never strayed from their side.

Harry wondered if he might ever find that, granted he was young right now and had a good few years of fun left in him but he was starting to think more and more about the future and what he might do. Captaining the _Liberty_ had its advantages but eventually he wanted to put down roots and have a family of his own somewhere, where exactly he did not know but it was one of his future plans. For now however he was happy with his lot and cheered as Kanoro was presented with a small chest of precious stones that were worth a fortune. Calla came running up to her man and flung herself into his arms, kissing him as if her life depended on it while Maekor clapped his little hands together for his father while he sat with Caelys and Noelle in the stands.

The Prince cheered loudly and spoke to the victor. "You truly have a mastery of the blade that is unmatched here. You are more than fit to hold the title of Grand Champion and I personally invite you and your family to sit with me at the feast tonight." Kanoro and Calla suddenly became very self-conscious and were about to beg the Prince to excuse them such a high profile audience but Harry spoke first.

"Your Grace, Kanoro and his wife would be honoured to attend the feast at your table. For a while at least, as they have a young child to care for." Harry said trying to give the man a way out, Kanoro looked at him with gratitude despite being a champion pit fighter he hated being the centre of attention and would rather spend time with his wife and son than talk endlessly with nobles for hours on end. The Prince nodded excepting the excuse before the festival continued with the dance competition where his men looked out from their seats with their eyes on metaphorical stalks at the erotic and sensual dancing on display while Harry and Kanoro watched amused. The women of the ship slapped their men on the back of the head and then sat there furious as the men grovelled with only Harry and Kanoro not being affected.

* * *

The next few days followed a simple pattern as Harry and his crew explored and enjoyed all that Jhala had to offer, the local food was luscious and the women kept his men entertained. Caelys discovered some new medical techniques and remedies to add to her arsenal and found some new toys for her daughter. Kanoro had even started teaching some of the Prince's guards the 'proper way' to fight with swords, Harry himself had aided him when not spending time with the Prince; debating different subjects and playing games of strategy, similar to Cyvasse but with different pieces. Good friendships were being formed here, something he was very proud of.

But one morning Harry woke up and knew in his bones that something was not right, instinctively he knew something bad was going to happen. It was just a feeling but he was unsettled by it, his instincts had not let him down yet and right now they were on edge with a sick feeling in the pit of his gut. He got dressed and was somewhat comforted by the weight of his swords at his waist, along with his dagger and throwing knives. Leaving his room he walked down the corridor slowly as if expecting an ambush at any moment but it wasn't until he got to the main hall of the Prince's palace that his stomach tightened and his feeling that something was amiss was confirmed by the familiar presence of the Faceless Man with red and white hair, who was standing there as bold as brass.

The sight of him infuriated Harry, he had been promised that the trip to Valyria would be the last time he or his order would interfere in his affairs. His presence here now could not be a coincidence and it irritated him no end, he would have confronted the Faceless Man except he then noticed he was not alone. Not only was the Prince in the hall staring at a map of the Summer Isles that had been laid out on a table with several models of ships on it, but nearly fifteen other men and women filled the room all as richly dressed as the Prince himself with elaborate and glossy feather cloaks made of the finest quality. They all turned to face him and the Prince especially looked relieved.

"Harry. Thank goodness we have a situation." The Prince said, gesturing wildly towards the map showing fear for the first time since Harry had met him, so out of character for the happy go lucky prince that instantly Harry knew the situation was truly serious. "The Volantese have launched a massive fleet of slavers sponsored by the Followers of the Red God that are coming here, to snatch as many of our young as they can. This man from Braavos was able to warn us in time to rally our fleet. Here is the proof." The Prince said with genuine gratitude, waving documents that bore the sign of the Volantis archons. From what Harry could tell they looked genuine although why the Volantese would need such large numbers of new slaves troubled him, worse that it was being sponsored by the Red Priests and another question he wanted answering was why the Faceless men were interested, so Harry's eyes narrowed at the Faceless Man. Harry wanted to confront him but the number of people around stopped him.

Why had he warned them all? Harry did not know what game the Faceless Men were playing now but given the situation he could hardly focus on that. The expectant look on the Prince's face as Harry turned back to him told Harry everything he needed to know about what the Prince was going to ask of him and sure enough moments later he did.

"I need every fighter we can raise and you & your men are the best I have seen. Please you helped us before, will you aid us now?" The Prince asked desperately, his eyes begging for Harry to say yes.

Harry himself was torn, this was not the sort of fight he and his men had ever faced before. A battle at sea against a large force of enemy ships, he knew nothing of such things and with the exception of Barca who had known ships all his life none of his crew did either. Going straight into a battle of the size this was looking to be was suicide.

But on the other hand, his conscience stabbed at him. Images of the beautiful island and the kind people that inhabited it who had made him and his crew so welcome gave him reason to pause, they did not deserve to be slaughtered or otherwise see their young people and children dragged off to live a life in chains with no hope of returning home. The broken lives that they would live even if they did escape while serving fat old men, their backs breaking like their spirits. How could he leave children to that fate?

No, he couldn't.

He nodded in agreement to the Prince's request, the question was would his crew?

 **-x-**

Harry left the palace and headed for the _Liberty_ , he was uneasy at having to try and convince them to fight in this battle. As former slaves they hated anyone involved in the trade but they had only escaped themselves recently and would they risk their own safety to fight slavers? Questions he did not know the answers too but would he realised soon learn, whether he liked them or not.

He arrived at the docked _Liberty_ sooner than he had hoped, walking up the gangplank he felt the eyes of his crew on him, watching he and their smiles dimmed when they saw how serious he looked. Kanoro in particular and the crew gathered on the main deck while Harry went to the ship's wheel, quickly rehearsing words in his head and began to speak.

"I wish I could tell you that we have another day in paradise to look forward too today but a crisis has arisen." He began making sure he had all their attention before he continued. "Volantis has launched a fleet to enslave the children of the Summer Isles."

He let the news sink in, the shocked looks on the faces of the crew were quickly replaced with expressions of anger. They all knew from personal experience what it meant to be a slave and over the last few days had become fond of the people here that had welcomed them so warmly. The idea of them being forced into chains and suffering untold abuse from arrogant and unfeeling owners made them furious beyond belief. Harry was glad to see that, it made what he was about to propose easier to swallow.

"The Prince has asked us to join in the defence of his people, I intend to stand with them. This is only our fight if we make it so, anyone that does not wish to join me then I will not hold it against you but any that would fight alongside me to protect these people then we sail at day's end to a battle unlike any we have ever fought before. Do not volunteer out of sentiment, this could well be a one way trip. Who will stand with me?" Harry asked the entire crew, a slight pause lingered for a moment as people made their decision. He would put those that could not fight like Caelys and the children ashore before they left anyway, if they failed they would still be in danger but they wouldn't drown.

He went into his cabin and conjured himself a glass of ice water, Orion who had been sleeping on his perch flew over to the table when he sat down. Harry stroked the blood hawk's plumage while he thought on what he was going to do. He only needed half the crew to sail the _Liberty_ but she was poorly armed, slow and old. No doubt the Prince would add weapons to the ship if they had time but would it be enough Harry wondered to himself.

He looked down at his dragon ring, his thoughts wandering to using his magic to better the odds against him and the Summer Isles. He knew spells that could decisively shift the odds in their favour but it would mean risking exposure, anyone who saw his magic would have to die. He should have been troubled and on a certain level he was. A voice in his mind that sounded annoyingly like Dumbledore reminding him that all life was special, but the colder practical side of his quickly shut it up. These were men whose sole trade of the kidnapping and exploitation of other people, they had no reason to attack the Summer Isles except for their own profits.

It made him sick with fury.

He would use his magic, as long as no one could tell it was him. It brought a dark smile to his face, the slavers were going to get one hell of a surprise tomorrow.

* * *

The sun was setting as the Prince's men arrived, carrying a broken down catapult to mount onto the main deck and some scorpions too giving the _Liberty_ some teeth for the fight ahead. A squad of archers also joined them on deck for when the ships came close enough. Harry watched them from the wheelhouse while Caelys, Calla, the children and the rest of the women who couldn't fight left the ship for the safety of the island. Hopefully if the battle went their way they would pick them up in another day or so, if not they were safer here he thought.

With that Harry looked at the volunteers, nearly all of his crew had wanted to stay on. Kanoro and the rest of the pit fighters were doing some last minute training with the rest of the crew as they all stood in the armour that Harry had provided from the stockpile he had collected in Valyria along while Naevia and Saxa which Harry had resized existing armour to fit, stood alongside their men getting ready.

Harry himself had taken some of the armour he collected in Valyria, not the actually Valyrian steel armour which was still sitting in his tent. It would have been great to wear it but if it got out that he had it goodness only knows how many people would have been either trying to buy or steal it off him, perhaps even kill him for it. But the existing suit he was wearing now was a good fit and moved easily and it allowed him to carry all his weapons without issue. _Orphanmaker_ and _Blackfyre_ sat in their scabbards on his back while at his waist was the Tiger dagger and throwing knives and a small circular shield over the scabbards that held his swords just in case. He held the helm under his arm and seeing the engineers were finished he cleared his throat. His men and the archers on loan to him turned to face him, Harry felt anxiety that he did his best to suppress given he was going to be the one leading these people into battle.

"We all know what is at stake, hundreds if not thousands of lives hang in the balance. I promised when we started this voyage that we would be ourselves and enjoy the freedom that every human being has a right too. Tomorrow we face the slavers, any man that would lock a helpless child in chains will pay the price. None will live beyond sunset tomorrow, are you with me?" He asked his voice getting louder as he spoke, the crew cheered in agreement bringing a smile to his face. "Then cast off! SOON WE FIGHT!"

The men cheered again and went to their stations while Kanoro shared a grim nod with Harry. They both knew what they were sailing into, the danger that lay ahead but trusted each other enough not to worry.

Either they would succeed or they wouldn't.

Harry was about to order the gangplank raised and the mooring ropes when someone appeared on the quay and much to Harry's annoyance it was the Faceless Man again who proceeded to boldly walked up the plank onto the ship. Harry walked over and grabbed him by the arm much to the surprise of his crew and said quietly in his ear.

"What the hell are you doing here? Why do your order care about the Summer Isles?" He knew better than to believe it was simple charity. The Faceless Men only smiled before saying.

"The Red God is the enemy of the Many Faced God and it would be a great loss to allow him a victory here. Our meeting here today was the will of fate itself, but if some advice would be accepted…your abilities may be very helpful in this fight." The Faceless Man said with that smirk that Harry so desperately wanted to wipe from his borrowed face. Harry however gritted his teeth to not lose his composure around his men especially before a battle. Instead he asked another question which had been irritating him.

"Do you have a name? Calling you Faceless Man would get annoying very fast." Harry meant it, tired of not knowing just who he was speaking too. The Faceless Man did not frown and said.

"If you must have a name to call the man by then name him Jaqen H'ghar. I hope it serves your purpose."

Jaqen and Harry exchanged looks for a moment before Harry remembered they had to sail now if they were to intercept the enemy before they reached the islands. The Swan Ships of the Summer Isles were much faster so they would sail later the next day when they were finally ready but the _Liberty_ was a much slower ship so they had to set off earlier. As the anchors were hauled up and the sails unfurled Harry stood at the wheelhouse and thought on what Jaqen had said. His powers could he accepted make all the difference in the battle ahead and he had decided to use them already but how? What could he do that would cause the most damage? He was but one man.

There was one spell that came to mind that he could use but it was the most dangerous in his arsenal, nearly uncontrollable but it would certainly be useful as long as no one saw him use it. He set and navigated the course to follow before retiring to his cabin, telling his crew that he would be getting ready for the battle. It confused them but they trusted him enough to accept it.

And indeed he thought to himself grimly he did need to prepare. He went into his tent and removed one of the preserved potions and put it securely aside for later while packing it up just in case then with some difficulty he sat down in a meditative pose and began gathering his reserves. For what he had in mind he was going to need a lot of magic.

 **-x-**

Over a day and a half he stayed like that, stopping only occasionally to eat and drink or when his crew came to get fresh orders. If they thought it strange that their captain was just sitting there in his armour, never seeming to move they did not question it. Maybe they themselves were nervous of the battle to come but when the last left his room he locked the doors because finally Orion who was flying ahead of them had spotted the enemy fleet.

 _ **Orion's Vision…**_

 _The lights of the ships made them easily visible on the sea below even without the moon in the sky, Orion flew well over and the sight alarmed Harry when he saw the size of the fleet and it was not just Volantese slavers there either. Tyrosh, Meereen, Lys, Myr and Astapor all had ships in the large formation with a large number of freelancers which must have numbered close to a thousand or maybe even more than that when it was all added together. It honestly made Harry pause for a moment as he considered the scale of the attack and realised that an entire generation of Summer Islanders would be taken if they did not succeed which only made his plan all the more important. The Summer Islands would call on many ships but how many Harry wasn't sure, so he had to stop as many as he could before they got here._

 _ **Vision ends…**_

Harry ended the vision link with his hawk and ordered him to come back now that he had seen the deck of the ship he wanted in particular, it was at the relative centre of the large formation and there were few men on deck. With all the extra energy he had spent nearly all day building up Harry created a portkey back to his cabin from a handkerchief which he tucked inside his armour for when he was done and took one calming breath, using mental discipline to put his emotions firmly under control. These people were the scum of the earth, they did not deserve pity or mercy he thought to himself with complete honesty. His journey had been helpful in ridding him of many simple idea about right and wrong and that everyone deserved a second chance as a certain old wizard would have said. For the sake of his crew and the people of the Summer Islands and all those they would try and enslave in the future these people had to die tonight.

With his fortitude and resolve rallied Harry wasted no more time and with a pop he disappeared from his cabin on the _Liberty_ and reappeared on the deck of a slaver galley.

 **-x-**

The slavers that were on deck were instantly taken aback at the sudden appearance of such a heavily armed man on the deck of their ship but they had little time to think about it as the interloper took some knives off his waist and threw them straight into the necks or heads of the three people closest to him. Not a single miss despite the rocking of the ship leaving three corpses on the deck and the rest of the men in shock but it did not last long as they went for whatever weapons they had to hand, confident that the twenty or so men that remained could easily take the interloper however quickly he had appeared.

Harry drew his swords, comfortable from hours of sparring and other practise. He wanted to save some of his throwing knives for later and his magic too so he went to his swords instead, the slavers charged forward recklessly with under his helm gave Harry a sneer easily impaling the first two with minimal effort before pulling his swords free to slash the chests of three more in close succession. The men cried out as they fell to the deck while the fifteen that were left stopped for a moment as they regarded their dead comrades before looking over to Harry who decided to scare them a little more as they already were trembling in fear. He did not speak however, instead he laughed…a slow chuckle at first that grew quickly into a full laugh. The men on deck shook as they regarded him, some bolting for the deck hatches while others stood their ground only just. Harry had to thank Fa Chian for teaching him how to use people's emotions against them, fear being one of the most potent of all. Just by laughing he had sent four men to cower in their bunks leaving only eleven left on the deck to oppose him.

But he would need no psychological tricks for what came next he thought, gripping his swords even tighter he moved forward to engage the few quaking men that were left. His mind empty of feeling as he charged with a loud cry, the men raising their weapons in shaking hands to try and fight him only for him to move quicker than any of them could follow.

Harry aimed in slashes and thrusts for vulnerable areas; the stomach, neck or mouth as he started cutting men down without hesitation. The first two got a sword across the throat each before they even knew it was coming and drowned in their own blood.

The third, fourth and fifth put up a bit more of a fight and one of them tried to block his swords with a fishing spear however the Valyrian steel cut straight through the wooden shaft with ease and the owner got a sword through the mouth for his effort while the other two felt steel in their gut when he pulled his sword free.

Six men stood alive to face him now, all looking terrified but they all charged together against him in complete fear and desperation to stay alive. Harry's blades already dripping with blood were like a steely storm as they blocked each of the clumsy strikes the slavers sent Harry's way. He focused completely on the moment, leading the fight slowly around the deck to the best points for him. Seeing a few barrels piled nearby Harry waited for a brief gap before kicking one of the slavers hard in the gut and sending him back against the barrels, over the ocean and the sounds of clashing steel you could just here his skull crack as it broke on contact with the hard wood.

Harry now went on the offensive, hitting hard against their steel knocking it clean out of their hands before he caught them with his steel. One had his head removed only for it to be joined a second later by his head as Harry moved from opponent without hesitation, ending the next one with a slash across his poorly protected throat.

The last three fought on now in a complete panic, any coordination or skill leaving them as they wildly struck at him with their swords. It was easy to block them and with a twist of a sword lock two lost their swords, only for Harry's to impale their stomachs before they knew what was happening.

The last slaver standing actually shit himself as he saw the gore on the deck left by Harry's attack, he shook violently as he prepared to jump overboard rather than face him alone. But Harry was not going to let him off that lightly and with a hard slash from both of his swords, the slaver's head was taken clean off his shoulders. It rolled away from Harry who now with a slight sheen of sweat on his body took a breath and checked that the deck was clear, seeing it was he cast a quick cleaning charm on his swords and armour to get rid of the blood that was dripping off them before putting them back in their scabbards.

He could have ended the small fight quicker if he had used his magic but he had been saving it for this moment. Taking one last look around at the unsuspecting slaver ships around him Harry took a deep breath and called on all the magic he could, raising his dragon ring above his head and calling out.

"FIENDFYRE!"

For a moment there was no reaction but then the magic Harry had stored built up in the ring, the end lighting up with a blindingly bright orb of golden flames before finally they were let loose.

A massive dragon made entirely of flames erupted from the ring high into the sky above the fleet. The slavers looked up in shock and terror at the awesome sight before it came crashing down on their ships, burning them to cinders or smashing them to fiery bits. Men screamed as they burnt for a slight second before they were reduced to ash by the intense heat Harry had conjured. The edge of the dragon catching the sails of the ship Harry was standing on and setting it ablaze too.

Speaking of Harry though, he was now shaking slightly himself from the effort of keeping this much raw magical power under control. His fists were white from grip and blood started to flow slightly from his palms as his nails dug into his flesh, his head was splitting as he brought the fiery dragon across the fleet destroying ships as it went. He could barely think while every single nerve of his body felt like it was on fire, it was all he could do to keep the dragon under control.

Blood ran down his face like tears from his eyes, his body was screaming from effort until Harry could take it no more and ended the spell with what was left of his concentration. He fell to his knees as his strength left him, his magic near completely exhausted. He would need at least a day of meditation, sleep and eating before he could use anymore magic. This was why he had made the handkerchief portkey but it had been worth it as at least a quarter of the slaver fleet had been destroyed perhaps up to a third while leaving the rest in chaos but right now he activated the portkey taking back to his cabin on the _Liberty_.

 **-x-**

The travel shook Harry enough so the only think that stopped him falling to the floor was the table he managed to grab hold of, Orion now back on his perch looking at him in concern. He had not felt as weak as this in his entire life, like simply talking would have been a chore. He reached out for the potion he had put aside earlier, foreseeing he would need it and drank it. It was a stronger version of the pepper up potion combined with a stamina boost, it would restore his strength at least physically for a couple of hours Harry thought now able to stand up right without having to lean on the table. He wiped the blood from his face and applied some dittany to the cuts on his hands to heal the cuts he had made earlier and dearly hoping the potion he had taken would be enough, he unlocked the door and walked out onto the deck.

His men turned to face him and Kanoro looked at him strangely, he merely nodded to each of them before taking the wheel and asked his first mate.

"Are the Swan ships with us?"

Kanoro nodded, indicated with a nod at the large fleet of powerful but swift vessels coming up behind them. Then a shout from the lookout made them all turn forward.

"ENEMY IN SIGHT!"

Everyone looked ahead but were surprised to see the slaver fleet in complete disarray while many of its ships burned, Harry only smiled as his plan had been more successful than he had thought but he wiped it from his face when Kanoro caught it and looked at him suspiciously. Instead Harry shouted out to his men.

"ALL HANDS STAND TOO! READY CATAPULT AND TAKE AIM!"

The men on loan from the Summer Isles did just that, moving it into position and adjusting it to fire over the range and targeted one of the nearest slaver ships. One man loaded a projectile into it and then used a torch to set it ablaze, seeing from his position that they had now closed the distance, Harry gave the order that everyone was waiting for.

"FIRE!"

The men let loose the highly strung catapult which threw the flaming projectile high into the sky before it hit one on the enemy ships. Behind them the Swan ships which had far better catapults than the _Liberty_ began firing their own barrages at the enemy. Some missed and some did strike home but as they got closer, the slavers started firing back. All around them projectiles fell but none hit their targets as clearly the slavers had rushed and not taken the time to judge their shots properly but some did manage to find their mark eventually as they regained cohesion. Two or three Swan ships were hit and forced to drop back as they conducted repairs but the _Liberty_ somehow made its way through the firestorm raining down around them as the men on deck looked nervously around as splashes went off all around them.

Harry gripped the wheel tightly, steering his ship through the flack and seeing one ship coming to close to use the catapult he called out to the men on deck.

"ARCHERS! READY AND LOOSE!"

The Summer Islanders took their goldenheart bows and lit the tips ablaze before letting their arrows fly, soaring clean through the air before striking the men on deck and setting their sails on fire. Catapults and arrow fire from the Swan Ships behind them soon began to strike the scattered and vulnerable slavers who were struggling to regain some control of their own fleet.

The men on the _Liberty's_ deck cheered except for Harry and Kanoro who just shared a grin, earlier suspicions put aside for the duration of the battle. Seeing a pile of floating debris ahead that was still on fire, Harry went to steer around it when suddenly something emerged from the smoke coming straight at them.

All of the men stopped for a moment to examine the ship which was rapidly approaching. It was large, bigger even that the _Liberty_ but sleeker and painted completely black and gold. Even the sails were black with some symbol painted onto them again in gold. It meant nothing to most of the crew but Harry recognised it immediately much to his horror. The ship design was familiar to him as it was Westerosi in origin, with golden lines across its hull for decoration but what worried him the most was the Golden Kraken that had been painted onto all of its black sails. Growing up in Oldtown he had heard of this ship before and just who was its master from the sailors there, Kanoro saw the look on his face and asked in concern.

"What is it?"

Harry did not take his eyes off it but answered his first mate and quartermaster.

"Trouble. ARCHERS READY AND LOOSE!" Harry called out as he took the wheel and tried to avoid a collision especially with the nasty looking ram in the bow of the other ship but it was closing faster than he could adjust given how sluggish the _Liberty_ was in comparison. Arrows seemed to shrug off the larger ship as it approached. Seeing that a collision was inevitable Harry called out to his crew.

"BRACE! BRACE! BRACE!"

The next thing they knew was a massive jolt that rocked the ship, the ram punched clean through the hull and embedded itself in the _Liberty's_ wounded side. Harry and his men looked up to see a large boarding ramp styled to look like a monster's head fall onto the deck, crushing a poor Summer Islander that had been unable to move quick enough. Riding the ramp as it fell was a man who screamed with obvious bloodlust as came down, confirming Harry's suspicions on who was attacking them. Wearing armour with the symbol of the kraken emblazoned on it was a man with a moustache rather than a beard, his brown hair cut short and his face rough with endless hours at the helm of his ship in all kinds of weather. In his hands was a vicious looking battle-axe but it was his eyes that scared many who saw them, burning with madness in wild abandon as he cut down two more archers while the rest of his crew began to run down the ramp onto the _Liberty's_ decks.

Harry abandoned the now useless wheel and with his swords in hand, charged with his own crew following his lead, loud battle cries filling the air as the two groups clashed in the middle.

Crixus, Gannicus, Braca, Sula, Naevia and Saxa were right in the thick of the action, their weapons whistling through the air as they cut down people left and right while Kanoro cut his way through with the force of a war machine, none of the pirates a match for his skill his great sword cutting down sometimes two men in one swing.

Jaqen however surprised them all, moving like a dancer he flawlessly made his way around the deck with his staff in one hand and a dagger in the other, slashing at the throats of any that came close enough to him before moving straight onto the next his expression never deviating from that irritating look of complete serenity even as blood was splattering on him.

Harry meanwhile found himself separate from them, _Orphanmaker_ and _Blackfyre_ slashing and cutting through any pirates that came his way or throwing knives into pirates slightly further away, a quick look around confirmed to him that the fight on deck was completely chaotic and blood was already running across the wooden planks. His own people well drilled by Kanoro and the other pit fighters were slowly gaining the upper hand but Harry had no time to join them as he found himself face to face with the enemy captain. Harry tightened his grip on his swords and spoke the man's name, knowing it could be no one else.

"Euron Greyjoy."

The man just fucking laughed again as if he had been told the best joke in the world but the vicious glint in his eye put Harry on edge before he attacked. His axe swung around in an arc that made Harry jump back to avoid before he struck back quickly only for Euron to evade him and slam the butt of his axe into Harry's leg. The damage was stopped by his armour but Harry began to feel fatigued again, clearly the potion had not he realised given him his full strength and it was reaching its limits. Harry gritted his teeth and began to match strikes with Euron while trying to conserve what energy remained to him.

Euron unfortunately proved to be more than a capable combatant, parrying blows and nearly catching Harry with ease but Harry was not sure if the man was toying with him or not. He would have used magic to pin the madman down to end him but he had not got enough energy left for even a simple stunner so it was his rapidly tiring muscles and skill with a sword that he would have to rely on here he thought grimly.

Euron however was not completely toying with Harry, despite his laugher and madness he could not seem to find an opening to end this fucking bastard! His defences too good for him to get a strong enough swing in. Then he saw a large man wielding a greatsword coming charging up the deck straight at them.

 **-x-**

Kanoro saw his captain was in trouble. He had not been himself today and although he had apparently done nothing he seemed exhausted, when they had seen the burning slaver fleet his suspicions had once again been aroused considering the strange things that seemed to happen every now and again around Harry Tyrell. But he put those worries aside and went to aid him in his struggle against the enemy, smashing his great sword into the axe's iron wood shaft. It held but Euron was put back a step by the attack.

The distraction caused by Kanoro was brief but it was enough for Harry to manage one last slash at Euron's face. A scream filled the air as blood sprayed across the deck, clutching his axe in one hand Euron was covering his left eye with the other. He howled in pain as he stumbled backwards and fell over the side, both Harry and Kanoro rushed over but when they got there, Euron had disappeared. It unsettled both men more than they cared to admit but could not do more about it right now so they turned back to the deck.

The pirates were being driven back by his crew with many seeing their commander disappear as a sign to run but Harry was not going to let them off that easily he thought with anger after what they had done to his ship.

"COUNTERBOARD! THEY WANT OUR SHIP, LET'S TAKE THEIRS!" Harry cried out to his men who instantly cried out and pressed harder towards the ramp. Harry and Kanoro moved down the deck, scaring the pirates even more into a rout as the men that had beaten their commander came towards them with swords dripping with blood. Harry despite feeling tired led the charge up the ramp and onto the _Silence_ itself.

His feet hit the deck and killed two pirates quickly with slashes across the chest, his men came out behind full of bloodlust and began to slaughter the scared pirates. So caught up in the moment they did not even notice if a pirate had thrown down their weapon or not, they killed them anyway and Harry was right there with them however while both he and Kanoro felt the thrill of the fight they did not lose themselves to it and stayed focused and calm, cutting down the pirates with ease.

A cry went up as the last fell, Harry called out with the glee that would be expected of him.

"THE SHIP IS OURS!"

The rest of the men cheered and began to celebrate in any way they could and a quick look around showed that whatever remained of the slaver fleet had broken off the fight and was fleeing in every direction while they were chased by Swan ships. Another cheer went up as crew realised that the battle was over, they had won.

While the crew were congratulating themselves Harry and Kanoro went to the captain's cabin to see whatever might be there. Mainly Harry wanted to know the reason for this attack, why now and why on such a scale and hopefully the answers would be here.

They kicked the door of the cabin open and entered carefully just in case any remaining pirates were hiding inside but instead of any vicious reavers, a single man was cowering in the corner. Both Harry and Kanoro studied him intently; he was in too good a condition to be a prisoner looking well fed and groomed. His clothes were expensive silks and he was covered in gaudy jewellery which was pure gold they noted but the most telling things about him were his very pale skin, silvery blond hair and a pin fixed on his robes. A certain golden pin that was shaped like an elephant, Harry knew that only a select few were permitted to wear such things and it confirmed his suspicions about the man.

"PLEASE SPARE ME! THE PIRATES FORCED ME TO HELP THEM! I WAS THEIR PRISONER!" The robed man cried out in panic at the sight of Harry and Kanoro who both narrowed their eyes, neither believing a word. Harry then revealed what he had guessed.

"Kanoro it appears we are in the presence of a Triarch of Volantis. One of the Old Blood Families no less." Harry's words were delivered with a hard and emotionless voice but he was feeling the utmost disgust at the bawling man who did not even have the fucking backbone to face them with some dignity but instead sobbed and begged for his life. But what could you expect from people who would not even touch the ground of their own city streets rather than be carried in an ornate and comfortable hathay or lifted by slaves in a palanquin he thought with disgust.

But Harry for one was glad he was here as he thought with a cruel sneer appearing on his face, they would be able to get some answers.

 **-x-**

Crixus and Gannicus dragged the captured Triarch into a chair in the _Silence's_ hold. The cold, dark atmosphere more suitable than the brightness of the cabin or the openness of the main deck. Harry and Kanoro stood back and watched as both men slugged him hard in the stomach for good measure, neither said anything they didn't have too yet as the setting was doing some of the work for them while Jaqen watched from the door. The Triarch was already nearly shitting himself at the sight of the four bloodied men around him with only the dim light of the occasional lanterns, so the dark hold seemed tight and confined. They said nothing, just staring at the triarch unnerving him even more, a little more Harry thought and he would tell them anything that they wanted to know. True he could have used some of the truth serum he had in his potion stocks but where was the fun in that Harry thought.

Harry then stepped forward and sat on a crate directly in front of the triarch who looked at him with terror on his face. Harry smirked at him and said.

"Does it hurt you to know that you are truly alone right now? That no one is coming to save you and for all the wealth you have and all the power at home your fate is going to be decided by us, four filthy men, not a political rival? Does it?" Harry asked him, working to poke a sharp point into whatever pride the man had left. Kanoro, Crixus and Gannicus all looked at the triarch making a statement of solidary as the stood in a line with Harry as opposed to the triarch who started to cry again.

"Please!" He begged looking so pathetic it was pitiful. "I can make you all rich men but please don't kill me!" He sobbed and a rancid smell filled the hold as he lost control of his bowels. Although all four men were disgusted they did not let it show on his faces, Harry decided he was scared enough to go for the information he wanted, largely to spare their noses.

"What a world you must live in but I would rather have information. Give it to me and I will not kill you." Harry said with a devious smirk, the other three looked at him questioningly but said nothing. The triarch was of course quick to answer, accepting what he thought would be salvation.

"Absolutely. I'll tell you anything you want to know." He said quickly, nodding rapidly.

"Why this slave raid? What possible reason could you have for needing this many slaves so fast?" Harry asked his smirk disappearing as he became serious and kept eye contact with his prisoner so he could read his surface thoughts to make sure he was telling the truth. The Triarch did not hesitate to answer and words flew from his mouth faster than an eagle.

"In three months the city is holding the Grand Festival of R'hllor. It is only held once a century but it is the greatest service to the Red God, to fan his flames higher and to celebrate the founding of the city." The Triarch said forgetting where he was for a moment in devotion to the god he loved. "Thousands of children will be sent to the flames to feed his power and stretch it across the world, pregnant women too so their unborn babes can too be given to his glory. Pit fighters in their dozens will be made to fight to the death before the victor is made the ultimate sacrifice. It will be glorious!" He said with religious zealotry. He did not however notice the looks of horror and disgust appear on the faces of the men opposite him.

They all knew of the Red God and his followers burning people alive of course but none of them had heard of anything like this, burning of thousands of children and pregnant women alive to sate the apparent gargantuan hunger of the Red God. It unsettled even Crixus and Kanoro who had the strongest stomachs of all of them, Harry honestly felt he was going to be sick as he sensed the truth in every word. He had never imagined such a thing would be allowed to exist but that was the way of religious zealots he thought with anger nearly spitting on the triarch in his rage, anything to exert their power and ensure their ideology's dominance.

He turned to Crixus and said without a backwards glance and he got up to leave.

"He's all yours."

Those words instantly broke the Triarch from his vision of the great festival and he called out to Harry in panic.

"But you said you would let me live!" He looked around them with terror but without looking back Harry said simply.

"I said I would not kill you, he has no such restrictions." Harry heard the screams as he moved up to the deck as Crixus took his sweet time in killing the Triarch. He meanwhile was still trying to accept what he had just learned and decided to look in on the condition of the _Liberty_ to straighten out his thoughts. He was only just about to walk down the ramp to his ship when Barca and Sula came up looking incredibly grim.

"How is she?" He asked not sure he would like the answer and indeed his two other champion fighters looked thoroughly dejected.

"The ram has cut clean through the hull." Barca said. "We managed to patch up around the edge but the moment we try and remove the ram to do proper repairs it will flood in moments and this far from land there is no chance of beaching. The _Liberty_ is doomed." Barca concluded with despair.

Everyman that heard it felt the same, even Harry. They had all become attached to the old galley since they had commandeered it, to the freed slaves it had become the embodiment of all their dreams and hopes for the future. To Harry it had meant companionship after a long time spent alone and this news was just devastating to all of them.

Harry knew however much he wanted to save the _Liberty_ , perhaps this was for the best. Times were changing and he honestly had the feeling that it was better to let go of old dreams so he straightened his back and said.

"Then it is just as well we have a new ship to take back to the Summer Isles. Move all cargo and possessions to the _Silence_ , leave nothing behind otherwise it is going to the bottom of the ocean." He said without emotion but loudly enough to be heard. He left them to walk down the ramp and onto the _Liberty_ to help with the stripping and especially that of his own cabin. Fortunately anything of real value was held in his tent and the charts and navigation equipment was easy enough to carry. He was about to start packing away his tent when he thought back to his fight with Euron, if it had not been for Kanoro Harry would have been killed in his weakened state. He honestly wanted to do something for the man in thanks so he entered the tent and withdrew one item from his storage area, setting it on the table before going back to packing up. It was the Valyrian steel great sword styled with lightning bolts he had found on the corpse of the Would-Be-Emperor Aurion, the balance and workmanship that had gone into making the weapon were exceptional. In Kanoro's hands it would be a legendary weapon he thought with a smile, he had learnt its name from Aurion's own journal… _Stormbringer_.

 **-x-**

He was just tucking the tent in its packed up form and picked up the rolled up maps when Kanoro entered. There was a serious look of his face that instantly let Harry know whatever the man was going to say was important, so Harry gave him his full attention.

"I have always known there was something about you that was not normal." Kanoro said frankly, looking intently at Harry who was beginning to grow worried. "You move to fast and hit too hard for someone your size and age. You always have whatever you need and know things it would be impossible to know in any normal way." Each sentence was a statement of fact, not a question which only made Harry dread what he knew was coming next. Kanoro finally asked him the question he wanted…no needed answering.

"Do you have magic?"

Harry closed in eyes as weariness caught up to him, he had never told anyone of his powers before and hoped to never have too. His magic had barely even started to recover from earlier although perhaps he could manage a single memory charm but what good would that do Harry asked himself. Kanoro had not just asked him on the spur of the moment but from many small incidents that had given him reason to suspect the truth. Wiping his memory would accomplish nothing except delay the inevitable, his only other choice would be to kill Kanoro which he could do but never would. One of the most decent men Harry had ever had the honour of meeting and a swordsman able to stand against Ser Barristan Selmy himself at least in Harry's eyes. He had no desire to end his life so what did that leave him with Harry thought to himself?

Only one thing left…the truth.

It was a hell of a risk he thought, he could not be certain of what Kanoro might do upon confirmation of his suspicions but perhaps he conceded it was another time where he would do something that none of his family would ever do or at least unless they had no choice.

Take a chance and hope for the best.

So Harry looked Kanoro straight in the eye and nodded.

"I was born with it, took years to master properly but it has enabled me to make my journey and go to places that otherwise would have been unreachable. The only reason we were able to enter the Green Hell and visit Naath for more than a day was my magic protected this crew, like I did tonight when I burned as much of the Slaver Fleet as I could, however much it exhausted me." Harry explained hoping to make the former pit fighter see that magic was not a dark art to be reviled as many saw it in this world.

Kanoro was silent for a moment as he absorbed what Harry had said, it might have just confirmed what he had suspected but it was still a lot to take in. He had heard the horror stories of magic users that tormented and cursed men and women on a whim but Harry he thought was different. His magic had only helped them so far, although it was capable of great destruction he thought given how many of the Slaver Ships had been on fire before the battle had even started. Kanoro had always been open minded, never judging on face value and right now he honestly felt Harry Tyrell…who had rescued him from slavery along with all the others deserved to be trusted.

"It shall go no further than to two of us." Kanoro assured him and Harry honestly felt more relieved than he had at any other moment of his life. Worried on the one hand that someone knew his secret but also excited that there was someone he could finally talk to about it. Suddenly remembering the sword on the desk behind him it was now his turn to speak.

"Thank you my friend, I have never admitted my powers to anyone before for reasons I suspect you already understand. You will not regret your trust in me." Harry said a smile now visible on his face, Kanoro now feeling better smiled back. "But tonight if it had not been for your aid I would likely have been killed by Euron Greyjoy, my thanks would seem small especially considering you will keep my secret. It is time I gave you something more substantial. After all the finest warriors should have the finest steel." Harry said and pulled the sword into view. Kanoro was wide-eyed at the weapon as it was pressed into his hands, he pulled the sword out of its scabbard and saw the distinctive ripples in the steel.

Kanoro was speechless, never having held a Valyrian steel weapon in his life and now here was Harry just giving one to him. It was astonishingly light compared to a normal great sword and he carefully weighed it in his hands.

"Does it have a name?" Kanoro asked, still gazing at his new sword with awe. Harry told him with a smile, glad the gift was appreciated.

" _Stormbringer_ , I acquired it while I was wandering the ruins of Valyria." Harry said offhand causing Kanoro to look at him sharply, thinking Harry was joking but then realised he was completely serious.

"A story for another time." Harry said looking forward to telling someone the more interesting tales of his journey before he asked a question that sprang into his mind. "Did we find Euron Greyjoy's body?"

Kanoro just shook his head and said as he returned _Stormbringer_ to its scabbard and strapped it to his waist.

"No. Surely it is not so big a worry, the tide will have carried it away. It is nearly certain we have seen the last of him."

Harry however was not so sure and a nagging feeling in the back of his mind told him it was not over. Without a body he could not be sure of Euron's death, so he could only hope that his instincts were wrong and Euron was dead.

 **-x-**

 _ **Unknown Location…**_

The crude bandage that Euron had strapped around his ruined eye was stained with blood and many would in such a position have worried about sharks or drowning but not Euron.

His fury was keeping him alive, refusing to let him give in and slip beneath the waves, the snarl on his face as he clung to the driftwood he had found almost like a wounded animal which was closer to the truth than anyone would like to admit. He had managed to keep his axe by putting on the driftwood but the loss of the _Silence_ was a wound that made him scream to the night's sky in rage. That fucker had taken his ship! And all of his loot was on-board too!

He swore not only would he somehow get his ship back but keel haul that bastard and his crew when he caught up with them.

 **-x-**

 _ **The Silence…**_

The crew of the _Liberty_ watched silently from the deck of the _Silence_ as the former slaver galley they had called home slid slowly beneath the waves. No one cried but they were sad, it was the end of an era they all knew it. Whatever came now, it would not be the same as when they had been sailing the oceans without a care.

Harry was no more or less affected by the sight then any of his men but he had other things to think about, so he went to his new cabin followed by Kanoro, Crixus, Gannicus, Barca, Sula and Jaqen. Far larger and more comfortable than the one he had on the _Liberty_ but nowhere near as homely. The treasure stash inside had been surprisingly large and shared out amongst the crew with Harry himself taking a chest full of gold and a dragon egg which he had been very surprised to find inside. They were already stored away safely in his tent but as he and his men gathered around the table, the tension was thick as they finally discussed what they had discovered from their interrogation of the triarch.

"By now we all know of the Festival in Volantis and what they want the children for." Harry said as he stood at the head of the small table. "I would know your thoughts on the matter."

A look around the table told him of the mutual disgust his men had for the sheer lunacy of such a thing, except for Jaqen of course who merely looked serious instead of his usual serenity. Crixus being the most outspoken of the group was the first to air his opinions and loudly too.

"We cannot let this happen!" He said nearly shouting despite they were all only a few feet away. Gannicus was next and just as loud as his friend.

"I agree, this is a horror we cannot let pass."

"How would it be stopped then? No one in the city will prevent it." Harry asked playing the devil's advocate despite his own revulsion at what was going to happen three months from now.

"We stop it." Sula said with conviction, his eyes sharp and cold with certainty. Barca however was more practical when he added his words.

"How? We are merely six. Half a dozen against a city, if the Faceless Men will not help then we can do nothing." He and other eyes turned to Jaqen who merely said without his expression changing in the slightest.

"The Many Faced God is opposed to this plan but even my order could not effect such a change on a city by ourselves, even if they failed here they will find their sacrifices another way. An army is what the man needs." The word 'army' reverberated around the room and the men quickly started talking over each other in a mindless squabble. Harry and Jaqen remained silent as they thought things through. Harry heard Kanoro mention that he knew some of the outlying towns and villages; they should be able to raise a host of at least five thousand but they all knew that would not be enough.

Harry was lost in his own world as he looked at the possibilities in front of him. Volantis was the largest city in the world, at least this part of it anyway. With a city watch known as the Tiger Cloaks numbering in the tens of thousands and the high walls that they would have to get through they stood no chance of invading and successfully taking Volantis, let alone holding it.

Crixus argued the slaves there would rise if they had a chance to gain their freedom but their support was not guaranteed and the unarmed slaves would be no match for the Tiger Cloaks Harry thought.

He wanted to help but he just did not see how they could do it even with the extra men and his magic, he wished he had some allies to call on when he thought back on his journey and the connections he had made and a plan began to form in his mind. Interrupting the argument he asked Jaqen a question that stopped any further arguing.

"Where are the Golden Company right now? Have they a contract presently?" The former pit fighters wondered why he would even want to know but Jaqen who now smiled in his direction with that irritating smirk answered.

"Currently fighting Dothraki near Myr, they are available for hire."

"Any other companies around?" Harry asked wanting to increase his odds of success. His men were looking at him like he had sprouted another head for all the sense he was making to them but Jaqen understood.

"The Second Sons and Windblown are available. The man trusts Harry Tyrell has the coin to hire the three, it would make a combined force of fourteen thousand professional infantry, cavalry and war elephants. The volunteers from the towns and villages would only raise it further." Jaqen said and Harry nodded much to the surprise of his men while he could now see why he had been sent to the ruins of Valyria. With all the gold he had acquired there hiring them for this campaign would be easy, four million gold dragons while he had over thirty million or the equivalent of. And the steel to arm the volunteers would not be a problem either as he had gathered whatever was left from Valyria, just enough to outfit them and the blacksmith he part owned in Qohor should be able to make more if required.

This Harry realised was a plan that could work, providing of course they had help from within the city and up to date information on its defences. So Harry told Jaqen, taking charge of the meeting and began to work out a plan.

"We will need recent information on city defences and troop movements, not to mention any potential allies within the city. I assume that is something your order can provide?" Harry asked and Jaqen gave a slight nod.

Harry turned to the other men around the table and told them.

"There is a lot of work to be done and time will be short. Once we have sailed back to the Summer Isles we shall pick up our crew and sail for mainland Essos, but if we are to save their children then we need to move quickly."

He then started working with his men plan further what they were going to do in greater detail, it was going to be a long time before they took to their beds as the _Silence_ sailed through the night.

* * *

 _ **Volantis…**_

Unaware of the series of events that had been set into motion far away in the Summer Sea, a bunch of young ladies watched the door as another hid some coins away.

"We will need only a little more before we can flee this place." The leading one said beneath her cloak. Her hood obscured her identity as did her ladies with their own cloaks.

"And then what?" One of the ladies asked. "Our choices of destination are rather limited."

"Anything is surely better than staying here." Another said which made the other women scoff at the naivety of the comment. The leading lady turned around, her face now finally visible. She had tanned skin and dark hair that was naturally falling in waves, her front showed her curves and breasts were well developed and enticing to any who saw her, her face was a work of art in itself. A delicate but had a strong regal baring and fine features, easily one of the most beautiful women a man could dream of.

Her mind while sharp and cunning was unsettled, her dreams of the strange man she had never met had come again last night. She hated mysteries and desperately wanted them to reveal their meaning, was he going to be important to her? Whatever the case she thought to herself, she had to try one last time to escape the gilded cage she had been trapped in for longer than she could remember.

A large black cat jumped on the bed with a medallion on a string in its mouth, she sat down and gently stroked the cat as she took the medallion.

"You always know how to cheer me up don't you?" The other ladies watched as she petted her cat and rubbed a finger against the golden medallion, the only treasure she had been allowed to keep when she was brought here all these years ago apart from her cat of course. The medallion had belonged to her mother and was the only thing she had of her except memories that seemed more like a dream.

Her purple eyes looked sadly down at the piece of jewellery, she would try one last time to escape in a couple of weeks or so when the guards had relaxed. She had no idea of where she was going to go, perhaps Braavos but either way she was not going to stay here.

* * *

 _Hope the chapter was worth the wait…please review and let me know what you thought._

 _The next three chapters will be focused on the Volantis arc._


	10. Chapter 10 The Storming of Volantis

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _First off I am So Sorry about the delay! My Computer broke on me and it took ages to get it fixed. I only hope you like it and that it was worth the wait._

 _But the good news is I now have a beta…Thunderbird29. Excellent news and I thank him a lot as some of you have pointed out my problems with grammar. He has made a few contributions of his own to the story including Harry's new banner, so I hope you all enjoy the collaboration._

 **Chapter 10 – The Storming of Volantis**

 _ **Lands of Volantis, Midnight…**_

A long line of caravans stretched back for nearly a mile moved slowly along the road. Each cart with a cage was filled to capacity with people wearing manacles and covered in filth, portraying the picture of most dejected and broken human beings one could imagine. At the side of these caravans, men from all walks of life rode proudly.

They imagined the coin these latest wares of theirs would fetch them in Volantis. Many were sure that it would be enough to make them rich for a while. Slavers from all over Essos were coming to Volantis for this very purpose.

The forest around them was dense and the occasional rustling did not disturb them too much, animals would not dare approach them and even if one would they had the numbers to repel it easily enough. That confidence lasted until the first man fell from his horse with a scream.

The slavers whipped around looking for the source of the scream, a man at the head of the convoy they thought. But then there was another scream from a man the opposite direction. Confusion gripped their minds and they started taking their weapons out. To make matters worse, the caravan stopped all of a sudden.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?" One of the men cried near the front cried and raced ahead on his horse, only to stop and see a number of trees blocking the road ahead. It was obviously left deliberately in the middle of the road. Unease began to replace confusion, this was no work of animals or elements, human hands were behind this blockade.

Then another scream echoed through the forest coming from somewhere near the rear of the convoy, followed by another from the same direction. Fear and panic started to flower in their frail hearts, and despite looking around as intently as they could, they could see no sign of the attacker, or attackers as the case might be.

"COME OUT, YOU COWARDS!" One of the smarter man cried out, hoping to draw his enemy out by provocation. But these were trained warriors, pride meant less than giving their advantage away.

He was rewarded for opening his mouth with two dead comrades. Living, breathing people who were less than couple of feet away from him were thrown from their horses by arrows that came out if nowhere and now they were dead.

More arrows came from the forest, striking men left and right without any sign of stopping anytime soon. They knew the direction now but it was useless when they couldn't even see their enemies. The Slavers darted from left and right and closed ranks at the head of the convoy.

They were ready to bolt and leave the slaves to their fate if the situation called for it. The slaves on the other had peered outside in confusion, wondering what these attackers had in mind for them. Most of them hoped that there death would be painless after their long torturous lives. These were morbid thoughts, but again they were slaves, this was the most they wished from their lives.

Then there was another cry of alarm and pain. But this time, it was accompanied by a loud roar of voices calling for battle. Hundreds of men rushed out from the forest, covered from head to toe in leaves and mud which had enabled them to blend in with the dark forest, and fell on the enemy like a pack of hungry wolves.

Spears and swords were twirled and thrusted with varying skill and men started dying on both sides. Some of the slavers tried to flee but the archers still hidden in the trees picked them off with ease. The leader amongst them, who had till now been sleeping, was about to turn around and run when he suddenly felt cold steel being thrust through his gut.

He looked down at the blade made of Valyrian steel firmly imbedded in his stomach before looking up to see green eyes looking straight into his. Even so near death he could not stop himself from admiring the sword. It was beautiful work from golden days of Valyria.

The man tried to get a grip at the throat of the man who was killing him, hoping to squeeze the life out of him, but his wrist was held firm and blood started seeping past his sealed lips.

 **-x-**

Harry watched as the lead slaver fell to the ground, _Orphanmaker_ stained with the man's blood. He dispassionately took a rag and wiped his sword clean of blood before turning to Crixus who had been cleaning up some stragglers at the rear.

"Get the caravans moving, we'll free them once we are off the road. Get those logs out of the way and get me a head count of the slaves in the convoy." Harry ordered, knowing they had to be off the road as soon as possible. For now no one in the city really knew what they were doing and why and Harry wanted to keep it that way, at least for now. Men on horses dragged the logs quickly out of the way and their men took charge of the caravans bringing them and the confused slaves along who had no idea of what was going on.

They found a very narrow dirt track that went on for a few miles before finally opening enough for Harry and his men to open the cages and break the chains that held the slaves bound to each other, men and women looked up in astonishment at the men that had apparently freed them. Crixus meanwhile came up to Harry and said.

"Nearly a thousand, most of them would piss themselves at the sight of battle though." The Pit fighter said and Harry frowned at the dismissive tone of the man.

"We all have to begin somewhere," he said somewhat sharply. "Besides, I can use able bodied men and women for things beyond fighting." If Harry had learnt one thing from his experience in Yi Ti, it was that logistics was an important aspect of war.

Smiths, food gatherers, cooks, healers, stable boys, arrow-makers, and any other man doing some odd job was useful. And right now they needed every person they could get. With that in mind Harry stepped forward and spoke to the newly freed men and women.

"I KNOW MANY OF YOU ARE CONFUSED, AS YOU SHOULD BE," he said loudly. "BUT LET ME BE THE FIRST TO TELL YOU, THAT FROM THIS DAY FORWARD, YOU ALL ARE **FREE**!" Harry said with his voice amplified slightly by his magic at end.

The former slaves looked at him in astonishment and confusion, not quite believing what they were being told. Some of them who had more sense than others started smiling. Harry saw and understood this uncertainty. After all what were they supposed to do, where were they supposed to go now that he had freed them?

"WE HAVE A SAFE PLACE FOR YOU TO STAY!" he told them, putting their momentary panic to rest. "YOU CAN GO THERE AND SEEK A PATH FORWARD FOR YOURSELF, OR JOIN US AS WE PREPARE TO BREAK THE CHAINS OF ALL THE MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN TOILING IN VOLANTIS!" he said.

"NO MORE WOULD BE PEOPLE KIDNAPPED FROM THEIR LANDS BY THESE VOLANTENE. NO MORE HOUSES DESTROYED, VILLAGES BURNT, AND FAMILIES LEFT IN TATTERS. WE CAN FIGHT THESE GOD DAMNED SLAVERS, I KNOW WE CAN. **ARE YOU WITH ME?!** " he roared and his own voice was joined with hundreds of others in a raucous cheer.

Crixus and Harry shared a slight grin at that. Unsurprisingly, many joined them rather than wander through the dark forest on their own. They would probably get recaptured if not killed by denizens of the dense forest, animal kind or otherwise.

 **-x-**

The sun was peaking over the horizon when they and their new recruits finally reached their camp. Rows upon rows of tents and temporary structures littered the site. It only got more crowded with new participants joining them.

Some in the old crowd were cooking breakfast while others, mostly men, sparred in the makeshift training yard. There were female warriors in their midst as well, but most of them practised with a bow.

At same time some of the men were being turned into cavalry under supervision of Kanoro, Sula and Barca. Harry was sure his cavalry would only strengthen even more with this new batch of horses and men that were coming in.

The scale of the operation shocked the new arrivals who had not expected anything like this. Many had seen army camps but few were this organised and even fewer this expansive. While Harry could have kept the camp small initially, he decided to expand it before he started bringing survivors in.

Harry and Crixus led the march deeper in the camp and it was Gannicus who came out to meet them.

"So you got them?" he asked rhetorically. "Good. Kanoro got another couple of villages to join us which bring our numbers to seven thousand," Gannicus said while Saxa dressed only in a blanket, looked out from the entrance of the tent they shared.

Both Crixus and Harry rolled their eyes as they saw how anxious Gannicus was to get back inside and resume fucking his lover. However, they ignored it with long practised ease in front of a much more significant fact.

They let Gannicus return to his tent while they pondered on their current forces. Even though their numbers were far from even contemplating an attack on Volantis…they were certainly larger than what they had expected this early.

A lot of towns and villages in the area had been raided for children by the Red Priests who had taken them forcibly. Their families and people who were opposed to the burnings were easy recruits for Harry and his group's mission.

Once the sellswords arrived, hopefully in a couple of weeks, they would finally be able to attack. Besides, these raids against slave convoys were good practice for the men. _'While training is useful,'_ he thought to himself, _'There is no substitute for experience.'_

Of course there were problems, food had been gathered from the towns and villages but keeping the movement secret from Volantis was virtually impossible. While they knew nothing about Harry's operation, they knew someone was in their land, trying to free the slaves or trying to get them for his own purposes.

Scouts had reported parties searching for them sent by the triarchs in the city, forcing them to move camp several times to avoid detection. The only good news being that apparently Volantis thought they were just a rather large group of bandits. So, their true purpose remained hidden as their forces grew in size.

However, there were still other problems. Finding enough steel to arm their new recruits was another major headache. He had already exhausted his supply of normal steel acquired from Valyria and from a few other places. He had ordered more weapons from his friends in Qohor but they were yet to arrive.

' _Internal discipline however,'_ Harry happily remembered, _'is slowly gaining hold on the camp. Long were the hours it took for Kanoro and I to drill its importance in their heads.'_ Crixus and Gannicus didn't help much what with their wild nature, though he was pleased to see Barca and Sula following his lead and talking women up to task often for it.

Harry tired and hungry from the night's ambush, the fifth in a row and the third with slaves involved, decided to go and grab himself a meal. The other two involved convoys filled with foodstuffs heading for Volantis itself. Knowing food was scarce, he had gone for the convoys and that food was still feeding the camp.

He got his meal from Calla who was Kanoro's wife and had taken the position of head cook. She smiled and handed Harry his rations while he thanked her with a warm smile. It was only some dried meat and vegetables but it was better than what most of the slaves had known before coming here. Calla had even managed to improve the flavour with some local herbs.

He sat with his people and perhaps it was vanity on his part, but he truly felt that they also considered him their lord in return. He ate the same things they ate, sat where they decided to sit, and fought by their sides.

Many at first had only followed him for his promise to break the chains, to free all the slaves present in Volantis, yet they were now loyal to him. Earning that had been a top priority of his since the start, and he felt that he had succeeded well in that regard. It was just another lesson he learnt in Yi Ti that was proving to be useful.

He tucked in and ate his meal silently, enjoying it after a hard day of work. At least until his name was called out loudly. Looking forlornly down at his meal, he sighed but got up after taking a swill of his water and left to see what the matter was.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was only Brynden, the smith he had helped in Qohor only a short few years prior but seemed like ages ago now. His smile returned and he walked forward quickly, Brynden did the same and two men clasped their hands together with Harry resting his remaining hand on man's shoulder.

"Good to see you, my lord. All the steel you asked for, enough to equip three thousand men is here," Brynden said jovially but Harry noticed his haggard looks and that the carts filled with steel were not only accompanied by his fellow smiths and a few soldiers, but also their respective families. Harry knew something was amiss with his business associate.

"While it is good to see that you and your families are well, Brynden, can I ask why you and others brought them here?" Harry inquired and Brynden sighed.

"Our smithy was burned down to ground by our rivals, my lord. The magister in their payroll won't let us even rebuild, let alone allow us to get justice. Only days later that incident our lives and that of our families' were threatened," he said much sorrow and anger.

"We felt it best to leave and seek our fortune elsewhere. We have Braavos and even Myr in our mind, but until then we thought it best to stick around here," Brynden said trying to put a brave face on but Harry could easily see how worried the man was about the families gathered and their survival.

Harry meanwhile was struggling not to show his anger at his friend's situation, anger that was directed not only towards the bastards in Qohor that had done this to Brynden but also at himself. He should have seen something like this coming when he set up the forge.

Now Brynden and his men along with their entire families were paying for his hubris. He would have to check on the Whitehelms in Braavos, the Tourmaline Brotherhood in Qarth and all the other allies and friends he had made along the way to ensure that his arrogance hadn't cost them too. But right now he had to help Brynden and an idea quickly sprang to mind.

"No need, we are in need of smiths here. Once we have taken Volantis, I will assist you and your men in setting up a new forge wherever you wish. Would you be interested?" Harry asked, hoping he would agree. Men of Brynden's skills with metal were rare and his own people could really benefit from having men such as him around the camp.

Brynden and the other newcomers looked at him in amazement. That would take a lot of money and resources for any man and yet here he was willing to do it just for friendship. They would remember this generosity well.

"If it had been anyone else, I would call them insane," Brynden said. "But I know you can pay through your nose to set up a forge. After all you did pay last time," he said. "Although it didn't last long, it gave us more than enough time to earn some money, hone our skills, and raise our families well. So we will stick with you for now, my friend."

Harry smiled and shook his hand firmly; matching his incredibly strong grip for a moment though he was sure his hand would be sore for a while.

* * *

As the blacksmiths set up their own tents and got a good meal after their long journey, Harry gathered his 'lieutenants', if he dared to call them that, to plan their strike on Volantis. A crude map of the city was stretched across the table which they all stood around.

"There are three layers of defences that we will need to penetrate," Harry began. "The first being the outer walls of the city. It is nearly twenty feet thick and fifty feet high. The five gates with portcullises and towers won't be making it any easier for us. While the walls are far from the highest, they are wide enough for a score of archers to stand upon them. And this is only the first obstacle."

He was pointing to the area in question on the map, not exactly keen on trying to force his way through that and judging by the looks, Kanoro, Crixus, Naevia, Gannicus, Saxa, Barca and Sula were against it as well. _'But,'_ Harry thought grimly, _'they need to know what they are against. There is no room for mistakes and they must be made aware of all the dangers in the city.'_

"The second is the Long Bridge which connects the two sides of the city," he said and pointed it out in the map. It was rather famous structure all things told, and Harry would hate to see it destroyed. "Whoever controls it has access to all the areas of the city. But," he injected, "it is lined with many buildings and gatehouses. We would suffer heavy casualties for every foot we gain on it."

Now comes the most important part of the whole city. He pointed to the area east of the bridge and said, "The Eastern district of Volantis is home to the city's elites. Their palaces, manses, and offices are in this part of the city. There is also where the main Red Temple of the city is located."

"The impenetrable dragonstone wall is stuff of legends. Standing at two hundred feet, it is lined with guard towers and strong gatehouses. It is impossible to lay siege upon but if we don't take this part of the city," he said firmly, "Then we have nothing. They can sit us out while paying sellswords to attack us, maybe even getting in alliance with one of the other free-cities."

He looked around and was met with many grim faces. "Now you know what we are up against," he said. "These are the problems, but what are the solutions?" Harry asked and searched around the table, the looks that he received were not hopeful in the least.

There was a long silence where people either stared at each other or the map. Many felt like they had bitten off more than they could chew. Finally it was Crixus who spoke first.

"What about the harbour? Can we make a landing there?" He asked and Harry almost shook his head in dismay.

"An amphibious landing against opposition?" he remarked sarcastically before continuing in a more serious tone. "We would lose hundreds, maybe even thousands to the archers in just this attempt. Not to mention the fortified harbour entrance with a gate that can be raised and closed quickly, sealing off one of the largest deep water harbours in the world easily."

"And then another issue is finding a fleet that is big enough to carry us all," Harry said not just trying to find a way to breach such strong defences but also to teach his lieutenants something about larger strategy than small team tactics they usually employed in the fighting pits.

Crixus was suitably chastised, he would learn in time. But that was something they didn't have right now.

Kanoro spoke up after a while, "If we can get men inside the walls, they can possibly open the gates for us. At least we can breach the outer wall easily enough that way."

Harry nearly smiled at that having had the same thought himself, so he continued from where his lieutenant left. "Indeed, a convoy of 'slaves' for the upcoming festival would not raise any suspicion, a few hundred can easily enter the city that way."

"Then ambushing the guards would be the next logical thing to do, follow it by opening one of the gates, and that eliminates the first obstacle. Now the second can be solved, at least partly, by attacking the south-western gate during our first step," he said and marked the gate in question.

"From there we should be able to reach the Long Bridge quickly, before it gets reinforcement from the Tiger Cloaks," Harry said, speaking of the city watch of Volantis which numbered nearly twenty six thousand with elephants and regular cavalry amongst their ranks. Once the sellswords arrived, he would be able to match that. But that still left considerable number of problems to overcome.

One of them would be hiding an army that large, and for such a long time, from the many many eyes that peer out of the city. He was pretty sure that the Red God would give his followers some vision or another and made a plan in the back of his head to counter that. Harry knew of their vision powers from his visit to Asshai.

"Another problem we have is that we would need to rally the slaves in the city otherwise we would never get the numbers. We also need to stop any of the Red priests from escaping the place by ship. Then we have to secure the food stuff in case we need to stay there longer and also to feed the freed slaves," he said and blew hot air out of his mouth.

"Aye, we gotta make sure the slavers and princes of the city don't get a chance to burn them," Gannicus said.

"Focus on them and forget about the inner wall, I have a way of rendering that one useless," Harry said all of them. However, Kanoro looked at him doubtfully even though he had an inkling of what Harry was planning, given he had been let in on his secret some time ago. He nodded nonetheless.

"The worst part is none of us know this city well enough," Harry said. "I don't know where the slave pens are, where the food stores are? How many towers are there, the guard stations, everything is up in smoke."

"We need to know more of the layout then," Sula said.

That was when Saxa spoke up from where she stood with Gannicus. "We can always send a scout in to the city to map it for us?"

Harry nodded although he had some reservations in that regard. Many of their people were freed slaves and would stand out as such in the city given how all Volantene slaves were tattooed on their cheek based on the jobs they do. Personally though, it would be an easy job for him as he could move easily around, but unfortunately he won't be able to make time for it.

Sula was about to say something when a guard came over, looking mighty worried for some reason.

"General," He said looking to Harry who had taken that title rather than lord. There were mainly two reasons behind it: first was that he didn't want to be associated with slave masters in any way and make the freed ones uncomfortable. Second was, that it was now kind of like a habit after spending so much time in the Yi Ti as one.

"What is it?" Gannicus asked looking slightly annoyed at the meeting being interrupted.

"Our patrol caught four women riding away from the city through the forest. They are well dressed and their horses are well-bred. We think that they might be someone important," The guard said.

Harry wondered if he might have potential hostages he could use as leverage against a figure in the city. Getting the information about the city might be easier that way. Sensing an opportunity he decided to act.

"Bring them here, I will question them myself," he said commandingly.

"Yes, sir," The guard said and shot off to get their prisoners while the others turned their attention back to the problem at hand. The wizard looked down the city map intently. While he knew he could get them in, he was seriously beginning to doubt this plan.

There were just too many holes in their plan, too many places where an unknown and unexpected factor can butt in and derail the whole thing. It wasn't looking good on paper and on the field, it would be even worse. If that wasn't enough, Harry feared what the repercussions would be once they conquered the biggest of the free-cities.

 **-x-**

The four ladies on the other hand were thinking that they had grossly miscalculated their escape plan more and more. While they had managed to slip away from the city easily enough, they knew nothing of the roads outside and had gotten lost in the forest. And now they were captured by what appears to bandits.

To say they were fearful of what fate might have in store for them would be like saying why are you stating the obvious. The best being that they could hope for right now was that they would be sold back while the worst did not even bear thinking about.

Purple Eyes looked around and realised that these men were no mere bandits. Their equipment was too well maintained and clean. They acted with a certain professionalism that they had never seen before, well if you discount the Unsullied that is.

She did not know why this was but she hoped it was a good thing. Maybe they will think of her as an important political prisoner and leave her alone. She stroked the cat in her arms for comfort and hoped for the best.

Marched through the forest, their feet ached something fierce until they finally arrived at a clearing. The sight that greeted them only deepened the shock for all the four women. Any remaining thoughts that these were common bandits disappeared like smoke.

The camp was too well organised, with tents in strict rows and some temporary fortified structures in the centre. Regular patrols moved around the edges, men and women sparred in a training area under instruction of more seasoned warriors, and smiths were working their forges for steel armour and weapons. Most amazing of all though, were the children who were running around the area without a care in the world.

What on earth had they stumbled into? Purple eyes looked on and the mind behind them wondered as they were marched through the camp and towards deeper parts. She felt several eyes upon her, looking with suspicion as she and others of her small party passed them by. It didn't ease her in the slightest bit but no one was attacking them at least.

Then as they arrived in the centre of the camp, she saw was led to a large tent where a group of men and women stood surrounding a table. The rough looking men and women around the table didn't exactly reassure her but there was one amongst them that looked like an educated human being.

Her eyes moved from person to person and she had to admit honestly that she had never come across such a mixed group as this before in her life. But most of her attention was on the man who had his back to her. He was looking at something that spread out on the table but she wasn't sure what it was.

He was definitely the leader the way the others were turned towards him before she entered. And when he turned around to face her, her mind stopped working for a moment in surprise. She couldn't believe what she was seeing in front of her. This was the green-eyed man from her dreams.

 **-x-**

Likewise Harry was struggling to control his facial expressions on seeing the Purple Eyes in flesh. It was the very same woman he had first seen in his visions in the Qarth, and then he had starting seeing her in his dreams every now and then. He didn't even know if she existed but here she was, right in front of him.

The similar look of shock on her face told him that she had seen him much the same way, in her dreams. Harry at first took a step back in surprise but he quickly recovered before anyone other than Kanoro could see it. He was quite thankful that the others were only facing his back.

Before the staring could get to an uncomfortable level, Harry decided to do some introductions. "I am Harry Tyrell, general of the army that you saw outside on your way." The woman's eyes widened in surprise at his last name and Harry noted that down for later.

"My congratulations on being the first high born ladies to visit our camp," he said dryly. "Though I have to wonder what possessed women of obvious wealth such as yourself to travel on these roads without an escort." His voice was cold and calm while his eyes looked straight in that of the purple eyed lady's.

Their clothes were made of high quality certainly and they were far too clean to have simply stolen them. The three ladies stood behind the one with the obvious Valyrian features and looked at her, clearly she was the leader, Harry thought to himself.

Purple Eyes meanwhile looked intently at him, suppressing any fear she might have had quite well. Unbeknown to her, she gained a small amount of respect from Harry in that moment.

"We were escaping Volantis where we had been prisoners for quite some time now. We had hoped to make our way to Braavos and seek our fortunes there but your men interrupted our journey," Purple Eyes said like it was a matter of fact while she petted the black cat in her arms. It seems to share its owner's look of annoyance, Harry noted in amusement.

' _She is so stubborn and sure of herself, its borderline arrogant really. But she is telling the truth about escaping Volantis, her surface thoughts easily tells me that. She showed intelligence and a lot of bravery in planning their escapes, but she is reckless as well. To attempt such a journey by land with unarmed women for company is short-sighted and foolhardy. She not only placed her life in danger but theirs as well.'_

He had honestly not met a woman like her in this world, and in some ways she reminded him of himself in his previous life. A bleeding hearted Gryffindor who was incredibly brave and caring, yet very reckless and short-sighted at same time. He was about to say something when she dropped a fucking surprise on them.

"Besides, we all don't have your ability to 'travel', my lord," Purple Eyes said with a slight grin, not mocking like she had something over him but more like they were sharing a private joke. It would have been amusing to him as well if not for the fact it was a big secret and only a select few knew of his powers. _'And now this woman, who quite frankly came out of blue, knows about them!'_ he thought in slight alarm.

"We will do this questioning in private now," Harry all but barked. When no one made to move, Harry said sharply, " **Now!** "

Kanoro got the hint and looked concerned at what she might reveal to the others who did not know his secret. Even now they were looking suspiciously at Harry as Kanoro marched them quickly out of the tent and took the watch at the entrance. Meanwhile, Harry glared at them, his anger particularly directed towards the Purple Eyes.

While he did not like the idea of outright killing them, he would if a memory charm didn't work. The women were all startled by his almost violent reaction and huddled even closer to each other. Purple Eyes realised what kind of impression she must have made with just her small remark and tried to mend the situation quickly.

"Your secret is safe with me and my friends, I assure you of that, my lord," she said with a short bow. She then looked hesitant but took Harry's silence as permission to go on.

"I know it sound all so fantastic but I have been having dreams about you lately," she said. "Nothing incriminating," she tried to assure him, "Just every now and then I will see you performing wondrous things with your gift."

One of the ladies behind her came to her leader's defend, "Besides she didn't tell us much about them either." Purple Eyes turned to glare at her friend who now had a mischievous look in her eyes. "She said that visions of handsome wizard were hers and hers alone."

Both Harry and the woman blushed at that. Harry pushed his embarrassment aside and frowned slightly. She was telling the truth as were the ladies behind her but he was still unsure if he could trust them with his secret.

Kanoro was the only person he had admitted his powers to and now there were four unknown women who knew about his magic. They had no previous connection to him, none of them he remembered ever seeing. There was no reason for them to go against him, at least right now, but it didn't mean it would always be so.

' _Dreams though, I am not sure of what to think anymore. A true seer was incredibly rare even on Earth, and here they have gone extinct after fall of Valyria. I am not sure if I believe that completely but it's my own reservation on the matter more than anything.'_

He continued looking at them but didn't let his thoughts be known. _'She is not revolted in the least by my powers as most in Westeros would be given the bloated hypocritical things the Faith of the Seven teach them. Only North and Iron Islands who have their own gods don't shun magic and abnormality._

' _In fact she seems to be pretty fascinated with magic. I won't be surprised if she wanted to know more,'_ Harry thought. _'And I won't have to deal with a bigot at the very least. Her ladies are of a similar mind as well from what I can read of them.'_

' _Perhaps this is what I need, someone I can share my secrets with. Lately, I have been feeling burdened by all this hiding. Maybe having someone to share my ideas and my abilities with is all I need.'_

He shook his head minutely. _'No, don't think like that, Tyrell!'_ he chastised himself. _'It's too soon for me to feel comfortable around them. They are unknown factor here and I need to tread carefully.'_

But first, some trust needed to be built between both parties. He decided, they won't be staying in the camp if the next question he asked had a problematic answer.

"Who are you?"

Purple Eyes stilled for a moment and then looked both resigned and afraid at the same time. _'Doesn't look good,_ ' he said to himself. Her ladies looked at her with concern while Harry just kept his gaze locked into hers.

"Alright…if I know your secret…it is only fair you known mine," Purple Eyes said before taking a breath and before any of her ladies could stop her, she said it as quickly as possible, before she lost her nerve.

"My name is Rhaenys Targaryen, daughter of Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell."

Harry was knocked for six as soon as he heard that. A Targaryen Princess was in front of him, and not any other princess either, one that no one in the Westeros knew still lived. He was not sure what to say while the newly revealed 'Rhaenys' and her ladies looked at him in trepidation.

Kanoro looked inside because of the sudden silence that had settled in the tent. He heard had everything but he did not understand the significance of what was being said given he was not familiar with Westeros or its history.

Harry controlled his features swiftly; there was a chance that these women were lying to him. His face became stern and his eyebrows rose slightly in a manner that mirrored his grandmother, not that he realised it as there was no one to point it out. He sensed her honesty, she really believed it was true but his own mind was unwilling to accept it without proof.

"Rhaenys Targaryen died in Kings Landing years ago alongside her mother and younger brother. She was only three and was stabbed fifty times by a Lannister knight." Harry said, not impressed that someone would raise a girl to believe she was a dead Targaryen Princess.

"I find it hard to believe that you are a Targaryen even though your physical features favour your claim," he said. And she did look the part, her skin was the same olive that all the Dornish people were known to have, and so was her black hair.

Her features were sharp and her violet eyes marked her distinctly as one with Targaryen ancestry. But that didn't make her one .The blood of Valyria was strong in Volantis and the city itself was very close to where the ancient Rhoynish empire used to exist. Perhaps she was a child of some slave and her Valyrian master, Harry thought wildly.

'Rhaenys' looked disheartened at this, but she had clearly expected it on some level as she started giving him an explanation as to how she survived. She had been told most of it by the ones who saved her but she did remember some of it herself.

"I was smuggled out of the Red Keep a few days before the sacking. I can't really remember much of the man who did it but I do recall he smelled like perfumes. He had me moved to Volantis in no time and I was held prisoner in one of the manses that belonged to a friend of his.

He even sent a man to educate me on my ancestry and heritage, Jothos Velaryon. He used his family as leverage to ensure that he stayed for as long as that bastard wanted him to. His whole family was a prisoner much like me and we got along well. They covered my escape," Rhaenys finished mournfully.

She hadn't wanted to leave him but they had insisted that for her own sake, she had to go without them. Jothos had been her sole father figure for as long as she could remember; teaching her how to read and write, her family's history on both sides, and being there for her whenever she needed him.

His wife Edmie had largely filled the void left by the passing of her real mother. Their son Aeron was like a younger brother to her and had often dreamt of becoming her sworn shield and their daughter Rhaella wanted to be her handmaiden.

"Why?" Harry asked. He had heard of Jothos Velaryon at least. He was the last Cofferer of the Red Keep, the keeper of all the wealth of House Targaryen under Aerys II. He supposedly disappeared with the entire royal treasury just prior to the Sacking of Kings Landing and to this day no one knew where it had gone.

Many believed that he had it hidden away when the time for restoration of the dragons came. He was known for his near unbreakable loyalty to the Targaryens. If the man was really alive and present in Volantis, then this was really the Targaryen Princess, he would never support a fraud.

Rhaenys meanwhile was coming to the part of the story that she hated the most, the reason for which she was hidden away. She spat at the ground, surprising all around her. _'Dornish indeed,'_ Harry thought in amusement.

"I was a…third option in case my uncle and aunt both failed to take the throne," she growled out and Harry was pretty sure it sounded like a dragon's. "My brother was too young to be separated from my mother and my grandfather had both of them guarded heavily day and night."

"Aegon wasn't good enough to be **The** dragon, not good enough to be sent to safety. Why? I'll tell you why, because our blood wasn't pure enough; because we were not result of some sick incest. Even now I am playing second fiddle to my aunt and uncle who by line of succession would come after me in claim for the throne."

There was some real venom in her voice that echoed her uncle Oberyn although she did not know that. Hatred burned through her gaze, "My brother, my mother, and I, all were left to die while my bitch of a grandmother took her second son and escaped to Dragonstone, never thinking of us."

"My kind and noble father…" she said sarcastically, "Ran off with another woman, humiliating my mother in front of the entire Seven Kingdoms and leaving us children behind like he didn't even care if we lived or died. If that wasn't enough, my grandfather, the mad king Aerys would regularly insult and degrade us, sometimes in front of the entire court."

The caustic anger burned in her heart, tearing away at the walls of logic and sanity she had built over the years. She tried to not think about the past because all she felt was pain and hatred for those who had betrayed her family. She certainly didn't count her grandparents or her father in that definition.

The years had taught her to hate the very name Targaryen. All they cared for was themselves and that fucking throne of iron. If she concentrated hard enough, she could still remember her mad grandfather sitting on the cursed thing, spitting on her and saying she smelt 'Dornish'. The fact that she was half-Targaryen herself made the truth even more hurtful.

But being 'Dornish' was something she was proud of, her kind and gentle mother's voice would still ring in her ears. She still remembered some of her lullabies and stories that were of Dorne and her family there. While she hated the Targaryens for what they had done to her mother and not sending her or her brother to safety when they had the chance, she loved the tales of House Martell, of Princess Nymeria, and of her uncles living in Dorne.

Harry looked at Rhaenys and nodded in understanding. He was finding himself believing her more and more as the tale continued. There was a way to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was who she said she was, a lineage potion would easily do that. But that would take a day or so for him to brew.

While he was thinking that, Rhaenys was getting her emotions back under control, rubbing a medallion she was wearing which previously had been hidden as she did so. It was made of gold with an engraved sun that was painted red and a golden spear that pierced through the sun. It was the sigil of House Martell and very intricately done. Harry knew that to right people, it was worth a fortune.

The wizard didn't try to focus on the events that happened in the princess' life but they were rather unavoidable, and they were unsettling. Harry got the distinct feeling that they had been engineered by someone or a group of someone, maybe the Faceless Men had done this.

He shook his head to get rid of those thoughts and decided to begin brewing the potion the same night. Until he was sure she was Rhaenys Targaryen, she and her ladies would have the hospitality of the camp as his guests. He was about to tell them that when he suddenly remembered something he had been worried about during the war council, such as it was, and wondered if she might be more useful than he had initially thought. After all she did find a way out of the city.

"Are you familiar with the layout of Volantis? Specifically what buildings are where?" he asked just to confirm that. They looked surprised by the unexpected question but one of the ladies looked at Rhaenys and with her nod of agreement, answered his question.

"Yes, as part of our plan to escape we learnt the city's complete layout. Why is that important?" The lady asking was Dornish like her mistress, the only difference being the dark brown eyes. The other two were more Andal or Westerosi in appearance with Caucasian skin that were slightly tanned due to the warm climate of Volantis.

They both had blue eyes and reddish blonde hair. The one thing all four women had in common had in common was their beauty. All had shapely but slim figures with full breasts and sharp faces that any artist would have loved to commit on canvas.

Before his mind could reach the gutter, he reasserted his self-discipline and started thinking about other matters at hand, like the planned assault of Volantis.

"While I work to ascertain if you are who you say you are, you have the sanctuary of the camp," he said to her. "However, you will have to do some work around the camp to earn your keep. Stay and decide what you wish to do next and I will help you if I can," he said seriously.

"All I ask in return is that you tell us all you know about Volantis," Harry remarked, wondering if they would take his offer. Rushing out as recklessly as they had, reeked of desperation, and Harry was completely willing to take advantage of that. But even if they decided against helping him, he would still allow them to stay here. His conscience won't allow him to leave them all alone in the forest.

He would protect them here, at least for a while, and if she really was Rhaenys Targaryen, Harry would make sure she had everything she needed to travel wherever she wanted. After all her father's family was the only reason the Tyrells became the Lords of the Reach, however much Rhaenys herself might hate them, his family owed a debt to theirs.

 **-x-**

The following night Harry covertly took some hairs from Rhaenys, he only needed a couple. He dropped them into a cauldron which was already boiling a thick red liquid, it bubbled fiercely when he added the hairs and stirred.

When it was finally completed, he stepped back and took a ladle from the desk, carefully scooping some of the potion out of the cauldron and pouring it slowly upon a piece of parchment. It sank into the scroll without leaving a trace like it had never even been there. In a few minutes it would give him his answer. Whether Rhaenys was a Targaryen would be now decided by this piece of parchment.

But if she was the Princess then what where would she go? Harry asked himself sitting back, worried for the young woman. She could head to Dorne and her uncles there would help her, but once again she would have no proof of her identity, why would they believe her? The same could be said for Viserys and Daenerys, even if one ignores the danger that option entails.

If the Lannisters or Baratheons ever discovered of her survival, then she would be hunted down to the ends of the Planteos. And he wasn't sure her death would be any less haunting then the one in the stories if that happened. Better she stay away from her Targaryen relatives.

At least so far no one beyond her ladies, Harry and Kanoro knew she was alive. That meant she could live in secrecy for the rest of her life if she wanted. _'But would that be okay with her,'_ he wondered, _'hiding who you are from everyone and having family just out of reach.'_

A slight glow from the scroll alerted him that the scroll was ready to be read. He tentatively opened it to see if Rhaenys was indeed right about who she was.

 _ **Rhaenys Targaryen –**_

 _ **Born– 280 AC, King's Landing**_

 _ **Father – Rhaegar of House Targaryen  
Mother – Elia of House Nymeros Martell**_

The text stretched for a while, going back down the bloodline, but his eyes were only fixed on these letter. He pinched his nose in resignation and sighed. Truth be told, he had been expecting it, Rhaenys didn't come out like someone who would lie, but he needed to be sure. This flimsy piece of parchment would now decide the future of entire Westeros.

It would decide his too. For some reason he wanted to help her and the mere thought of someone hurting her boiled his blood. He calmed down and decided to keep his distance from the Princess for now. The attack on Volantis would need a lot of his focus.

He got up from the chair and left his tent, moving through the quiet camp towards her tent, not sure what he would say when he got there.

 **-x-**

When he arrived at her tent, Rhaenys was still awake, reading one of the books he had provided her while her ladies and cat slept on cots nearby. Rhaenys looked up and stared at him questioningly, he stared back emotionlessly.

"May I enter?" he asked, still standing at the entrance of the tent. Rhaenys raised an eyebrow before gesturing towards an empty chair opposite her.

"Please," she said simply. He sat down and neither of them said anything for a moment until Harry wanting to get this over with decided to speak.

"I used a potion I acquired in Chroyane to prove your identity," he said. "Your grace," Harry added given she was a princess. Rhaenys now looked annoyed at him for even doubting her but pleased as well. Though he wasn't as off the hook as she had first thought.

"However much I may hate my father's family, I take pride in what I am. I am daughter of Princess Elia Martell of Dorne. I will adopt the words of House Martell and hold them as my own creed regardless of what others may believe." She told him with a glare, "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken."

Her eyes were fierce and defiant. Although Harry had never seen an image of the great warrior Queen Nymeria, he could certainly say that in that instance, Rhaenys was every bit the queen her many times great grandmother was. He could envision her leading her ten thousand ships to Dorne and conquering the new land with help of her consort.

Harry smiled, not put off at all by her glare. He met her gaze unflinchingly before speaking again.

"Do not take it personally, Princess, but after the things I have see during my travels, the people I have met, I have learned to never take anything on its face value," he told her. She looked at his inquisitively, wishing for him to elaborate more.

"When I visited Yi Ti, and does it feel like a lifetime ago," Harry said his mind wandering slightly as he spoke. "I was forcibly recruited into the army of the God Emperor. I had no knowledge of that field. I didn't even know the lay of the land. And he wanted me to lead an army and fight a war."

"When things were not looking so well I made an ally, one who shielded me from the God Emperor's sinister plans and found me a teacher so I could learn all I needed to know. It was the Crown Princess," he said.

"Bathi was her name. She wanted to unite her lands again and restore peace. For that the Emperor had to go, because you see, much like your grandfather he too was insane," Harry told her and while she did not like the mention of her grandfather who had caused her mother and brother's death, Rhaenys continued to listen intently.

"I was to take prisoners of the defeated rulers and their families. The plan was then to wed them to the allies that the princess had at the court. It would give her the power that she needed to overthrow her father and ensure that the empire would be bound better as a whole."

"But that wasn't all of it. I didn't want the death of non-combatants. One thing she assured me of was that they would not be harmed, especially the children," Harry said, a sober look on his face as unpleasant memories came to the forefront.

"I trusted her, felt that she was sincere in her desire for peace and would honour her words. I led the armies to victory and one after another every independent state bent the knee to me. I took the prisoners she wanted."

"But upon my return to the capital," Harry stopped there briefly not wanting the images he had seen to rear up again in his mind but they did all the same. He shook his head in sadness and no little amount of anger, "I found nearly all of them had been tortured to death by the God Emperor. Even the children were killed without mercy while Princess Bathi saved only those she had some use for."

Rhaenys was shocked, but not much. She had lived her whole life in Essos where deceit and treachery is common. She was a victim of the cruelty that men can show when called upon. Her own family was brutally murdered by the Lannisters and she had heard stories even more disgusting. But she understood all the same.

"From then on, I always try to double check everything that is presented to me. People call me paranoid at times but I call it healthy amount caution after a betrayal of such magnitude," he said. Harry's head fell and he was unable to meet her gaze.

Rhaenys looked at him with sympathy. It was his shame and a great one to carry. He could not protect what he had sought out and ended up being the reason behind their death. The irony would have destroyed a lesser man.

"Alys and Zara both suffered a betrayal of their own." Rhaenys said sadly gesturing to the two young women with reddish blonde hair who now that Harry was really looking, were definitely sisters. "Their brother is the current knight of the Griffin's Roost in the Stormlands, Ronnet Connington. He gave them to a Merchant Prince as a 'gift' in return for the wealth needed to restore his house back to their former glory."

"The prince quickly grew bored of them and they were sold once again, this time to the man that held me a prisoner," Rhaenys said and Harry looked at the two girls, astonished that they were noble ladies from Westeros, but not so much that their brother had sold them. The destitution of House Connington was legendary after all. They had been on the wrong side of Robert's Rebellion and they were forced to pay the price for it.

Rhaenys then looked to her other lady with sadness. "Lady Myria Jordayne was seized by pirates on her way to Kings Landing for a tourney but once the pirates had their way with her, she was sold to my captor. The four of us have been together ever since."

"The Velaryons have been there with me for most of my life now. Jothos was being forced to use his marvellous intellect to help them make money while I was educated with his family, held at sword point. Jothos and others covered my escape, without them, we would have never made it," Rhaenys said.

She was worried about them, had they been already punished for her escape? She hoped they managed to escape and were on their way back to Westeros. Harry saw her concern for those she considered family, and unconsciously put a hand on hers in reassurance.

"We will help them. When we take the city I will find them and they will be set free once again," he assured her. Rhaenys seemed to perk up at that, giving him a slight smile which he returned easily.

The moment was however shattered when Harry and Rhaenys realised that his hand was still holding hers. Things became slightly awkward after that. They quickly broke apart and Harry retreated back to his tent while Rhaenys buried herself in her book, both of them trying to figure out why holding hands felt so nice.

* * *

 _ **The Edge of the Forest  
The Following Morning…**_

At the edge of the forest, as the sun climbed higher in the sky, Harry and Kanoro with some of the guards watched as three large columns of men converged on the spot. Three different banners fluttered in the wind above each column; a pike with golden skulls tied around the head of the shaft, a broken sword on a grey background and the last one was simply forked blue and white.

The Golden Company was the easiest to spot with all their elephants while the Second Sons and the Windblown marched with only men and horses. Kanoro looked impressed at the large number of well-armed men, especially as they had horses and elephants to act as cavalry.

At the head of the largest column was a man who wore clothes similar to Summer Islanders. The man had white hair and wore an orange and green feather cloak. Harry smiled at the sight of Balaq, one of his first friends out of Westeros.

The man returned the smile of the young man who had made his ascension to the leadership of the Golden Company possible. He arrived first and swiftly dismounted his horse, walking up to Harry as he did so. The wizard greeted him with a tight warrior's hug and a slap to the back.

"Balaq, I trust you are well?" Harry said, greeting his old friend warmly. Balaq laughed in his big booming way before answering.

"We got gold and glory in abundance, what is there to be unwell about," he said with a grin. "Our coffers are overflowing with money these days. But I understand you wish to make a donation," Balaq said. Though now that he was here, he was unsure if Harry had enough gold to hire not only them, but also the Second Sons and the Windblown, none of them were cheap after all.

Harry nodded but they were not able to speak any further as the Second Sons approached and their leaders rode up to them. Harry noticed the leader was an older man with a natural grey hair and tanned skin. Beside him sat a young man with lighter tanned skin and a short beard of dark hair.

The older man was stuck up. It just took one glance for Harry to discern that. The way he had his nose up at the sight of them and the flamboyant armour he was wearing. The younger man on the other hand was smirking in self-assurance that bordered on arrogance. He had the air of a fighter around him. They rode up and dismounted their horses and came up to Harry, Balaq and Kanoro.

"I take it that you are the one who put out a contract for us?" The older man whose name was Ben Plumm asked while Daario Naharis stood at his side. Harry just gave him a cool stare and said.

"I am and if you want the plunder as well as the fee I suggest you listen rather than talk." Harry's sharp tone had him looking affronted while Daario laughed.

"Don't worry…as long as you can pay we'll fight for you," Daario said. Ben glared at younger man for interrupting the 'grown-up talk' but remained silent all the same.

Then the Windblown arrived and that was when Harry realised something was not right. Alongside the commander of the company—The Tattered Prince with his silver grey hair and cloak of many colours, was another man. He was dressed in fine silks and wore so much gold that it just gaudy to Harry.

The man was brown-skinned with dark hairs slicked back. His stance, clothes, and gold immediately put Harry, Balaq, and even Daario on edge. This man was no sellsword, what was his business here, Harry wondered. He was not happy with the Windblown, they had brought an unknown element with themselves that he didn't even know the name of.

The Tattered Prince rode up to Harry and without hesitating shook his hand. Harry nodded in greeting which the Tattered Prince returned before turning to glare at the man who had ridden with him.

"Who are you?" Harry asked, his hands subconsciously nearing his swords, ready to cut the man down if the answer failed to satisfy him. The richly dressed man merely smiled though Harry detected a touch of nervousness to it. The smile reminded Harry of a shark and the man's cold eyes bothered him.

"Please accept my sincerest apologises for the unexpected arrival," he said smoothly. "But I have an offer that will be of great interest to you, I imagine," he said.

"And what exactly could it be that would be of such great importance that you would come here to meet me? Whoever you are?" Harry asked. The mysterious man instead of answering kept smiling for a while, making sure people would hang on his every word when he would speak.

"My name is Parquello Vaelaros," the man introduced from where he was still sitting atop his horse. The nerve of the man, Harry thought. "And what I can do is deliver the city of Volantis to you."

 **-x-**

Not surprisingly everybody heard the man and something had to be done.

Standing around the table in a hastily assembled tent, the commanders of the different forces joining for this task stared intently at Parquello who looked completely at ease, not bothered in the slightest that he was surrounded by warriors capable of killing him in the blink of an eye. Perhaps he thought his value was so great, though it remained to be seen.

"Who are you?" Harry asked.

"As I said before, my name is Parquello Vaelaros, I am the most powerful merchant prince of Volantis, the greatest of the free-cities," he introduced himself. Harry wanted to punch the man in the face for that smug smirk but refrained himself, for now.

"What could you do that would deliver us the city?" Harry asked sharply, staring at the man with distrust but not letting his feeling known. Others around the table weren't so restrained though, and their eyes were trained on the man.

Parquello was looking down at the map which was thankfully blank of any useful information for the moment. The continuous dismissal had begun to chaff at Harry's self control, the air of superiority reminded him too much of his elder brother and Draco Malfoy.

"Half of the Tiger cloak captains are on my pay roll," he revealed. "I command them and the men under them as a result. Those thirteen thousand men that I control are the ones guarding most of the inner city gates and key roads inside the city."

"Once your men are past the outer walls they will be able to move across the western half of the city, which is where the slaves and low life live, with great ease. My men can also burn down enemy guard barracks while trapping the men inside. This I am sure would be helpful to your cause."

"I regret I cannot open the gates on the outer wall or to the eastern part of the city but surely what I offer would make the sacking of the city much easier." Parquello said with a smirk.

Harry was staring straight into the man's eyes when he asked the next question.

"And what do you want from this?" Harry scanned his thoughts, encouraging the thoughts he wanted to see with his carefully chosen words.

His main motivation was power and secondly revenge. He had stood in the last Triarch election but had been sabotaged by the Red Priests who doubted his faith. Even though the Old Blood of the city had allowed him to stand grudgingly, they had provoked the Red Priests in ensuring his defeat.

He was a very wealthy merchant prince but not one of the old aristocracies. He had adopted a more Valyrian name and had the blood of the Freehold in his veins but his family was not of those who had been rulers of Valyria before the Doom.

For that reason he could never hold any position of the authority in the city. It was his one and only chance, an exception had been made, and the Red Priests had taken that away from him. So now enraged by the prejudice, Parquello had decided to support Harry and his men in hopes of wiping out the Old Blood families and the Red Priests.

He had gone as far as hiding evidence of the growing threat from the Triarchs so they would not react in time to stop Harry and his forces. His plan was to help him.

At least for the first few phases of the fighting that is. He hoped that forcing their way through the outer walls and then the large reinforced dragonstone walls would weaken and deplete Harry's army enough for his own forces to easily destroy them.

The man wanted to claim the city for himself, he would portray himself as the hero who 'saved the city' from the 'savages and barbarian' attacking, the ones who tragically managed to kill their old leaders. Besides the city watch, he had his own private military.

He had fifty or so guards which was the maximum a merchant prince was allowed in the city. But he had close to four hundred slaves working for him. Half of them were warriors who worked odd jobs around the city, disguised as common worker while they were so much more.

The things he was sensing from the man made Harry's blood boil, treachery was nothing new to him but every time he was forced to face it, he felt burning anger course through his system. While he was ready to kill the man right then and there, something stopped him. He did not need a traitor in the army, one that would turn on him the first chance he gets, something his grandmother had once said to him came to in his mind.

' _The only real ally you ever will have is your family, and sometimes even they turn against you. Everyone else is just useful for a while...use them for your plans, and make sure your goals are achieved. And get rid of those allies once they start proving more trouble than they are worth.'_

She had been teaching Loras and him how to play the game of thrones at that time, as it was known infamously. The only way to survive was to gain power and win, if you had to betray people to win then so be it. Even with his family's tendency to play it safe there was always treachery involved.

He never really gained the hang of it. Treachery was something that he abhorred. Betraying someone who had done you no harm, had trusted you and helped you out. It was something that he could never do, would never do. He hated back-stabbing and it was beneath what his honour would allow.

However, that rule only applied to allies that were more friends than allies. And sometimes people that he respected. Enemies working towards the same goal would still be enemies, his grandmother had taught him that. But working with them till your goal is achieved is an art in its own, a skill that few were capable of developing.

He had never used that advice before but now it seemed like the time. Parquello was no ally but he was someone that Harry could use to accomplish his goals, and perhaps he would. While the honourable part of him was revolted at the idea of working alongside someone like Parquello, a person willing to kill even babes for his revenge, a voice inside his head that sounded a lot like his grandmother Olenna tried to convince him to for it.

' _I only need him until the city is in my hands. Then he is disposable,'_ he thought, his thoughts unknowingly mirroring the ones of his enemy.

Harry's eyes narrowed in consideration, not sure if this was a good idea. _'But it would make the assault on the city far easier if half the Tiger Cloaks are with us and travel routes are open. But how long would Parquello stay loyal? How long would he wait before making his move?'_

The questions worried him as that was not how he usually dealt with cities. In Yi Ti whenever he attacked the city to conquer it, he seldom had help on the inside, and never a temporary one at that. It seems he would have to learn some new tricks for this campaign.

"Wait outside while I talk to the rest of my men. We will give your offer a fair hearing," Harry told Parquello who merely smiled in acceptance. He was so damn sure that he would succeed that Harry was tempted to deny him just to piss him off.

"Only a fucking idiot would trust a bastard like that," Daario said with derision, thinking him a fool for even hearing him out. Some of the men nodded in agreement though Harry saw many of the veterans thinking over it.

"Do you think me a 'fucking idiot' Daario?" Harry asked the sellsword with a cold glare that unnerved the man. "I have no intention of trusting him," he assured all of them. "But he will be useful all the same if he manages to deliver what we want."

"We would play his game as long as we need him. But when he becomes a threat, we cut him out like any other enemy we face on the battlefield." His words troubled some of the men around the table, especially Balaq and Kanoro who knew Harry best, but they thankfully said nothing. Harry meanwhile outlined the plan he had to assault the city.

"The outer gates are not as well fortified as some of the castles in Westeros but they still have towers and heavy gatehouses. A direct assault would cost too many men. Instead," he said, placing a small figurine at the gate. "We will send in a strike team of two hundred men disguised as slaves and their masters a few hours before the attack. They will enter through the northern gate they would make their way to the south western gate situated here," Harry said pointing to a particular place on the map.

Earlier feelings were forgotten in the planning of the battle ahead and everyone listened intently. "They would attack the guards from inside and open the gate and light a series of beacons to alert the main body of our army which will be concealed here, behind these hills." Harry said, having solved the problem of breaching the outer walls and concealing his men.

"A second smaller force, largely comprised of cavalry would enter the city through the opened western gates. They would secure the north western section with help of slaves. We would entice them with offers of freedom to get the job done," he said.

He concentrated at the harbour for a moment before turning towards Barca and Sula.

"The harbour is one of the largest in the world, very easily assessable for ships coming in. But it has an impressive system of gates that was installed during the days of Freehold to protect it from a naval attack."

"As the slavers and red priests would learn of the extent of our assault, they would try to escape using the ships in the harbour. I want both of you to sail the disguised _Silence_ in there with as many men as we can pack aboard," he said.

"What about some fishing galleys?" Barca asked. "We can build some boats and the fishing villages nearby who helped us earlier would be willing to part with their boats for a price."

Harry nodded at that. "Excellent suggestion," he said. "We can hide weapons underneath fishes and other supplies while the galleys would enter the harbour behind the _Silence_. While it would be scrutinized any other day, I reckon no one would bother us due to festivities."

"You will dock the ship close to the gates while the galleys would make their way for the deeper docks. Wait until the alarm is raised and the gates are closed before attacking the gate. Break the mechanism responsible for its movement and prevent anyone from leaving," he said.

"The Windblown who will be part of the western forces will join them in securing the harbour," he said, moving pieces on the map to demonstrate. The Tattered Prince, Barca and Sula nodded in understanding.

Harry then turned to Kanoro. "Our men will secure the food stores and release the slaves held in the pens. Then our forces would clear out the part of the rest of west Volantis. We would push the enemy forces as far as Long Bridge before setting a perimeter here. Most of the region south is occupied by the docks, and the Windblown will already be there so we won't have to worry about that."

"The Second Sons would be the ones dealing with the main temple of the R'hllor," he said. He looked towards Daario and Ben when he said so. "I want every priest in there to be dead," he said seriously, unnerving a majority of those present. "No exceptions."

The two men nodded with hard faces. They didn't know why he wanted to commit something like that but they were fine doing it as long as there was plenty of gold to be had. Harry on the other hand was highly pleased by that, it was the reason why he was having the Second Sons attack the temple. They didn't hold to any god, any religion, gold was their only idol.

"But the hardest part would be played by The Golden Company," he said, glancing towards Balaq as he did so. "You would be the one assaulting the Old Volantis hidden behind the Black Walls," he said, shocking the lot of them.

"Are you out of your frigging mind, Harry? Those walls are two hundred feet high and so thick that you can run six horse chariots on their top, which they do mind you, every year to celebrate the city's founding," he said.

Harry was well aware of that fact but remained silent. Best Balaq got it out of his system because they were taking the complete city or nothing. "The walls are well reinforced, forged by dragonfire. This won't be an assault, it would be a suicide mission," Balaq said. He was ready to leave right then and there; he would rather lose his friendship with Harry than sacrifice the men under him, trying to break through that monstrous barrier.

"I already have a plan to open the gates without casualties," he said. "I only need you to deal with the Tiger Cloaks and private forces of various nobles inside," Harry said. He would open those gates himself with magic while remaining out of the sight of his allies. Or he could try thumping the merchant and see what he coughs up.

So with that in mind, Harry called Parquello back into the tent. Despite the looks of suspicion being sent at the wealthy man from Volantis, he remained as confident and casual as ever.

"I am ready to accept your aid," he said, making many of the man nervous in the tent, "But on one condition," he said.

Parquello's eyes flashed in anger for a moment and Harry smirked at that slip of control. Finally something that flipped the bastard, he thought.

"And what is that condition?" he asked somewhat icily.

"That you open the gates of the Old Volantis for us," he proposed casually, as if trading for silk instead of a city.

The man quickly shook his head. "No, there is simply no way to do that," he said. "Even though I am allowed to live in Old district," he revealed. "I don't have any kind of pull with the few Tiger Cloaks inside the district," he said with gritted teeth. "Most of the nobles inside have their own forces and the Tiger Cloaks only man the walls."

Harry sensed that he was telling the truth. He sighed in disappointment making a huge of it as he did so. "And I thought you were powerful," he remarked. It was just to needle his opponent; he wasn't really expecting an easy way in. The man coloured but didn't talk back.

"Alright, when we attack the city, your men must wear something to separate themselves from the other Tiger Cloaks. A red armband perhaps," Harry suggested, waiting for a moment so the man could give him a nod before carrying on with the planning.

 **-x-**

Later as Harry left the tent to get everything ready for the assault, he was greeted by a strange sight. The women of the camp were stitching banners of some kind. Confused he walked over to Rhaenys and her ladies who were also present. When they noticed Harry walking towards them, they proudly presented one of the banners to him.

"Well Lord Tyrell, what do you think?" Myra asked. "We thought that if the sellsword companies can march into battle with a banner then why should our people be any different?"

It was green, no doubt a nod to his familial roots. But there was a red and black hawk stitched in it which carried a small bloodied golden rose in its beak while the two talons clutched a sword each, their points away from each other. Words were sewed at the bottom which made Harry raise an eyebrow and sigh.

' _Growing strong to the death.'_

The twist of his family's words, which Harry knew his grandmother hated, didn't please him much. _'Growing Strong,'_ who the hell was that going to intimidate, she would say and Harry agreed with her, the Starks had _'Winter Is Coming'_ , the Lannisters, _'Hear Us Roar'._ And what did they have? _'Growing Strong.'_ It was oh so intimidating, he thought sarcastically.

Still the second part added context, and while it could have been better, he still appreciated the effort. Maybe he would come up with something better when he got the free time. The sigil however he simply loved. While there were too many colours in it and some of them clashed, it was still appealing.

"Who chose green?" Harry asked them.

"I did," Alys said with a smile. "For your handsome eyes, my lord," she said with a saucy grin. Her sister Zara did the same as she told him of her contribution.

"The Hawk was my idea. A bird of prey to show your free nature and survival instincts," she said and Orion chose that exact moment to return from his daily flight. The blood hawk perched itself next to Zara and Alys who then proceeded to make a fuss over him. He preened under the attention which made Harry grumble a bit.

'Even my bird gets more affection than me,' Harry thought good-naturedly. He shook his head in amusement as the girls fed him some meat chunks. He pitied the man they decided to love, the two of them very forceful in their dealings when they wanted to be.

"And the bloodied golden rose, the swords and the actual motto?" Harry asked, wondering who had added those features. Myria spoke first.

"The Golden Rose was mine, it shows your history and compassion," she said with a bright smile which Harry returned with a small one of his own. The girl was too bright to not be happy around. "I made it bloody to remind everyone that even though you are merciful, this rose is not without its thorns," she proclaimed, surprising him greatly with her insight.

While there weren't many Tyrell ancestors worth mentioning, he was still proud of what his family managed to achieve in the short time they had ruled Highgarden. The Reach was more united than ever before and his grandmother was a very able ruler. He then turned to Rhaenys.

"So by deduction, the swords and the words were your idea," Harry said and looked at her questioningly.

"Yes," she said gently, "I used swords to show your warrior disposition and your battle experience. I have seen you fight and I know what a great warrior you are, both with and without your 'gift'," she said with a small smile on her face. "Two swords to represent the two Valyrian swords that you often use," her answer once again surprised him and Harry nodded in understanding.

It seems they knew him better than he suspected. _'Seems only fair that I get to know them as well,'_ he thought. _'And while I still want to maintain some distance, it is only right that I know at least some of their qualities and quirks.'_

"The words to show the world how you would keep on growing for as long as you live, which I hope is a very long time," she said. "Starting as a mere traveller, you are now as powerful as any king out there. You have conquered lands and mighty cities, won glory, and earned respect. Anyone can be a prince in Essos with enough gold in their pockets but you have proven beyond any shadow of doubt that you are truly a king."

The passion in her voice not only surprised Harry but also her handmaidens. They didn't know their Princess had such strong thoughts about the mysterious warrior mage appearing in her dream. They looked at each other and smiled mischievously. There was definitely something going on between the two of them, they concluded.

Rhaenys herself was surprised when she realised how into it she had gotten. She had great respect and admiration for the young general before her which only grew when she heard true stories around the camp from the people who had been there to witness those great deeds.

Harry and Rhaenys both now red-faced said their hasty farewells and left for their respective tents. Once inside, Rhaenys got rid of thoughts concerning her handsome green-eyed friend and focused on the upcoming battle.

She would rescue the Velaryons and avenge the injustice done to her by killing the man that had kept her prisoner all these years, never letting her or her ladies contact their families. He still remembered well how he would visit her chambers every once in a while to leer at them.

He didn't like their features as much as he liked to make them uncomfortable. It had taken them years to learn how to deal with him and yet those scars would never heal. He was going to pray the price for what he did to her and her friends, just the first in a long list of many who would soon be doing so.

* * *

 _ **Volantis, the evening three days later…**_

 **The Silence…**

The large ship, now painted more dull and unremarkable shade of brown, sailed into Volantis harbour with Barca at the wheel and Sula at his side. They were unopposed as they entered the harbour which was already packed with hundreds of ships of various sizes. It was hardly surprisingly given it was the second largest of the Free Cities, coming only after Braavos.

Even still they possessed the largest and one of the best harbours in the world. And there was a major festival about to take place in the city. Barca glanced back and saw a dozen or so longships following them like ducklings following their mother. It would have been obvious to anyone looking closely but thankfully no one was looking.

Below deck, while the sailors worked, nearly three hundred men were crammed in the large cargo hold of the ship. _Silence_ was one of the largest ships out in the sea and its capacity was huge, something they were thankful for.

The tension was thick aboard as they docked to the nearest possible place in reference to the locking mechanism and Barca threw a bag of gold at the port official approaching them. It meant that they wanted to be left alone and the man left without another word. Now all they had to do was wait, wait for the signal.

 **The Northern Gate…**

A long train of wagons filled with men and women draped in dirty sheets rolled up to the gate, the guards came up to the men riding at the head of the convey. A handsome man decked out in fine silks simply handed them some scrolls while looking at them imperiously. The guards read the document before handing it back and allowing the carts to enter the city.

Beneath his silks that covered his armour, Harry breathed a sigh of relief as they passed the first hurdle. The forged documents were as good as any original with Parquello's help. Kanoro who was dressed in his armour as a part of the disguise of the guard protecting convey, relaxed slightly.

While he and Harry were calm, the same could not be said about the men with them. They were a nervous lot, unsure whether this plan was a stroke of genius or a death sentence. The cage doors were rigged to look closed but they could be opened any time from inside.

The men and women in the cages were wearing baggy clothes but beneath it everyone was wearing their armour. Their weapons were concealed in the hollow boxes, under the floor of the cages.

Harry and Kanoro on the horses directed the convoy into a side street that was still wide enough for them to be comfortable in the stifling heat of the city. They stopped once they were out of the sight of the guards on the wall. Harry quashed the urge to remove his armour and take a long bath; humidity was making it hard for sweat to dry down.

They intentionally broke several wheels to ensure they had an excuse if any guards came by and started asking questions. Any curious onlookers had moved on quickly when the 'slaver's guards' glared at them. Harry meanwhile was waiting impatiently for the night and was glad when the sky became inky black with a bright moon shining in the night sky.

Full moon would be a night later, and the slaves were set to be sacrificed on that night. The significance of that didn't fail Harry's notice. He shrugged off his slaver disguise and others took his lead. They climbed out of the cages, pulling their weapons out of their hiding spots quietly, and Harry looked around the corner to see the position of patrols and enemy sentries.

Fifty guards in all, twenty at ground level while thirty stood on the walls or in the towers of the gatehouse. _'It should be easy enough to overwhelm them,'_ Harry thought carefully. The two hundred men he had brought with him all moved up behind him as quietly as they could. Harry turned to Kanoro and began relaying details.

"Thirty on the walls, twenty on the ground, no patrols in sight" he said. "Ready?" Harry asked to which he received a nod. Harry crept forward, followed closely by his men. Armour was cumbersome when you were trying to sneak around, but using buildings as cover they made it to the square in front of the gate. The thing was only twenty five or so feet away now.

But they were soon spotted. A pair of guards turned around and saw Harry and his men as they moved forward. Harry thought fast and took two knives from his belt and threw them straight at them. One was caught in the neck and the other in the leg. He cursed as the one injured in the leg cried out in pain, alerting all of the other guards of their presence.

With their cover blown, Harry charged at the gate at full tilt. The rest followed his example and raised their shields in face of incoming arrows from the towers.

Harry pulled his swords from the scabbards on his back and blocked a clumsy blow from one of Tiger Cloaks before slashing his throat. He started running up the stairs leading to the top of the walls and the towers of the gatehouse. Behind him some of his men followed while others either attacked the group at ground level or moved up a second staircase that led inside the gatehouse.

Despite the weight of his armour, Harry quickly made it to the top of the tower and slaughtered the first two men he encountered while his men fanned out to secure this section of the wall. A few of their archers picked off the men fighting below before his men managed to kill them. Swords and spearmen worked in pairs and threes to overwhelm the Tiger Cloaks quickly, sometimes just throwing them off the wall.

Of course Harry and Kanoro needed no help such as that. They were each a one man army and no one in the entire strike team was capable of keeping up with either of them.

At ground level, the men could only watch in amazement as Kanoro moved swiftly through the Tiger Cloaks with _Stormbringer_ in hand, cutting down men with often a single devastating blow. The towering figure seemed unstoppable till all the men at the gate were dead.

Someone lit up some kind of flair and Harry knew that bells would be tolling all around Volantis in no time. So, with greater urgency he began cutting down what remained of the Tiger Cloaks. Down below Kanoro began securing the gate while a portion of the men there fought off a patrol.

Harry was no less impressive, his two swords slashed with precision that only a master can possess. One sword would block the blow from the enemy while the other would strike back immediately, always fatally.

Given it was two hundred men against fifty and a few others from a small patrol, it took only a few minutes for him to secure the gate. But by then the bells were tolling and time was running out for Harry and his friends.

Harry quickly found the mechanism to open it, a large wheel which had to be turned by hand. Turning to three of his men he called out for them to help. Each grabbed a hold of some portion and began turning the wheel. A series of gears turned slowly, the gate itself moving in parts until it was fully opened.

Harry immediately stepped back and took a lit torch. He added some copper to it and it burnt slight green. He waved it in an arc once, twice, three times before throwing it down. With that done, he went over to one of the large ballista mounted to the wall and turned it around.

It took some time and effort but he successfully aimed it as high as he could. He quickly lit the end of the bolt on fire with his magic when no one was looking, and let it fly clear over the city sky line.

 **-x-**

 **The Hills...**

Crixus and the rest of the army stood ready to charge when they saw Harry's signal. He nearly snorted at the sight of quivering men. That would soon change, he thought with a smirk, once men were in a battle, survival drove their senses like nothing else.

In the distance he could only just see a tiny light waving thrice and falling from the wall and then a number of small beacons were lit by men left by Harry along the road who had seen the torch.

"THAT'S THE SIGNAL! CHARGE!" Crixus called out and the battle horns sounded to announce it to the large body of nearly fourteen thousand men.

With that, the thundering sound of movements of men, horses and elephants filled the night. The massive formation of men charged towards the city, reaching the large open gates in short time where the fighting was already heavy.

 **-x-**

 _ **The Harbour…**_

The flaming bolt was spotted by the lookout in the rigging of the _Silence_ , Barca saw it too through the Myrish glass and shouted out.

"IT'S TIME YOU LAZY ASS FUCKERS. EVERYONE TO ARMS!"

The few hundred men hidden below the primary deck and in the crew quarters rushed out of the moored ships. Led by Barca and Sula, they rushed towards the large mechanism that opened and closed the gates.

It was like the wheels that opened and closed the gates of the outer wall of the city in its design. But about three times larger, placed horizontally, and powered by beasts. Unfortunately, the few defenders that were there had killed the animals in a rare show of intelligence in times of peril.

Fortunately, they only needed to break it, not open or close it. So they removed a number of gears which would be easy enough to fix.

* * *

Parquello's men all over the city tied red bands around their arms. They opened the north-western gates where Daario and Gannicus were waiting with five thousand men under his command. They joined the invaders in their attack, meeting up with the Golden Company and the Windblown in the western district as they seized the city's elephant stables and harbour.

Food stores were seized by Harry and his men as they moved through the western parts of the city, determined not to let the slavers or soldiers burn them down. Following that slaves were freed from their pens all over the city and anarchy reigned supreme.

One of the biggest slave pens was visited by Harry himself. The pens were like gated societies but where people were not kept out, they were kept in. Instead of clear fountains and green gardens, waste filled pits littered the area.

The gate was torn open and the noise roused the slaves from their sleep. They walked out of their disgusting hovels, their vermin infested homes, confused at what was going on. Harry nodded to Kanoro and stepped forward to address them, his magic amplifying his voice so all could hear him.

"SLAVES OF VOLANTIS! FOR SO MANY YEARS YOU HAVE TOILED IN SILENCE WHILE FAT MERCHANTS ORDERED YOU AROUND. THEY SAW YOU AS THEIR PROPERTY AND USED YOU AS ONE. OFTEN TIMES YOUR WORK WAS CREDITED TO SOMEONE ELSE, SOMEONE WHO WAS COMPLETELY UNDESERVING OF IT."

"YOU WORKED HARD YET YOU GOT NOTHING FOR ALL THE BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS YOU GAVE FOR THEIR WEALTH! ONLY MORE HARDSHIP WAS YOUR REWARD. WORSE NOW THEY SEEK TO BURN CHILDREN IN CELEBRATION OF THAT WEALTH, YOUR CHILDREN," he emphasised. "THE ONLY THING THAT YOU OWN, THE ONLY THING THAT YOU CAN **FREELY** CALL YOUR OWN," he said.

"TONIGHT YOU TAKE BACK WHAT IS YOUR. IT IS GOD'S GIVEN RIGHT TO DECIDE THINGS FOR YOURSELVES! TO LIVE YOUR LIVES THE WAY YOU WISH TO! JOIN US AND WIN YOUR FREEDOM!" Harry's voice was filled with so much charisma that he didn't even need the compulsion charm he was thinking of using. The anger in the slaves towards the slavers and wealthy of the city was more than enough to do the rest of the work.

" **FREEDOM IS YOUR RIGHT, AND TODAY YOU SHALL HAVE IT!** " he roared.

A cry rose throughout the area as slaves, already filled with resentment towards their master rushed out to join them. Harry, Kanoro and Crixus all smiled before Harry cried out with as much command as he could muster.

"TO THE LONG BRIDGE!"

 **-x-**

The Long Bridge was the one thing that connected the newer and poorer Western Volantis to the richer, powerful and older Eastern Volantis. Given that the bridge was so long and excessively wide, a row of buildings had evolved along its length over the years.

It was here though that the battle for Volantis was being fought now. The invading army had successfully trapped the majority of the defenders on the bridge. Fleeing guards from both sides found themselves boxed in by two equally powerful forces on both sides.

Harry's own men, sellswords, freed slaves and allied Tiger Cloaks forced their way along its length as the enemy Tiger Cloaks did their utmost to stop them, losing ground quickly as they were pushed back. The now freed slaves would pick up their dropped weapons to join in the fight. Sometimes they would just throw themselves at the Tiger Cloaks with nothing but their bare hands and teeth as weapons; such was their anger towards their foul masters.

It was like a raging tsunami smashing into the waterfront, thrashing it and moving inland. They fought hard, there was nowhere to run and if they were going to die, they were going to die fighting. But it didn't make a difference anyway. Some of the more intelligent and brave ones dived in the river water, willing to take their chances in the river rather than being cut down by the enemy.

Above Harry, Orion flew high in the sky and through his eyes Harry could see the layout of the city beyond the Black Walls. He led his forces to the gates of Old Volantis, some thirty thousand men behind him made largely of Tiger Cloaks from inside the eastern district and private armies.

After giving Balaq command of his forces, he ducked inside one of the shops on the side of the road leading up to the main gate of the inner city. Making sure no one saw him doing so; he concentrated on what Orion was seeing before apparating half a mile to the other side of the walls.

He looked up and saw the men on the wall getting their bows and ballista ready to shoot at his forces. Harry sneered at the sight of it; it was not going to happen. He leapt into action with swords in his hands. Running up the stairs quietly, he reached the top a bit out of breath but without anyone spotting him.

The first archer that did manage to see him was impaled by Harry's swords. The others turned around and Harry decided to slip the _Orphanmaker_ back into its sheath. He pulled the shield from his back and started moving forward with it in one hand and _Blackfyre_ clutched in other towards the gatehouse where the mechanism to open the gate was housed.

Arrows pelted on his shield but it held as Harry rushed forward, cutting down the archers one by one and leaving a bloody trail of bodies behind him as he moved forward. He reached the gate at last, smacking the last archer over the side of the wall with his shield.

The man screamed as he fell two hundred feet down, on to the hard stone waiting for him. But Harry could care less in that moment. His heart pounding hard and his body shaking after performing such straining activities in such short time, he pointed his dragon ring at the enormous wheel that moved the gates and began forcing it to move with his magic.

 **-x-**

Down below, in front of the gates, the men could not believe their eyes as the large Dragonstone gates started to open, revealing the many temples, palaces and manses that were present beyond.

Kanoro and the rest of the other commanders were open mouthed at what they were seeing but when they saw Harry waving from atop the wall; chocked laughter forced itself out of their mouths.

"Son of a bitch," Kanoro said to himself with a chuckle. He knew that Harry could do what he had promised but he could not help but doubt the man, but there he was. His magic opening the way for them and eager to take advantage of the opportunity, they all charged forward.

The dark night sky was lit up by battle fires and screams of the dying filled the air as the oldest and greatest daughter of Valyria fell to the greatest of the conquerors, Harry Tyrell.

The Second Sons charged the enormous Red Temple, slaughtering the slave army that protected it before entering the temple and either slaughtering the priests and priestesses inside or putting them in chains. Hundreds of children were found cowering inside, a sight that infuriated Daario who became the commander of the company that night when his old boss died in 'mysterious circumstances'. He rushed the children out before looting the temple off anything of value and burning it to the ground.

 **-x-**

Rhaenys, accompanied by her ladies and a squad of Harry's men entered the manse which had been her prison for so long, coming face to face with her jailor Jumel as he tried to flee the invaders with as many bags of gold as he could carry. None of the men who were there to protect her had to do anything as Rhaenys took the bow Harry had given her from her back and notched an arrow, sending it straight into his back.

The man squealed like a pig as the arrow severed his spine, scrambling about like he was trying to crawl away from death. Rhaenys felt momentary pity for the man before she quashed it and left him to die.

Instead she went to the cellars of the building, her worry for the Velaryons beginning to show on her face as she looked for them. Eventually opening one of the larger store rooms she smiled in relief when she saw the small family of four huddled together, squinting from the light that was now coming in from the opened door.

* * *

The sun was slow to rise but as it did, the smoke that was rising from the city became fully visible. All over the city dead bodies were picked clean by looters as were the rich dwellings, Red temples and some of the government buildings.

Harry felt exhausted after fighting all night long as he descended from the steps of the Ryndoon Bank, the largest merchant bank of Volantis where the last elements of resistance had been holed up until he cleared them out. Honestly, he thought to himself, he could sleep for next hundred years if given the opportunity.

"Harry, it is over," Crixus said, "The city is ours."

Instead of happiness, all Harry felt was worry. He was sure Parquello would be plotting something and they would have to deal with it over the fallout that would come from their actions, which they had no idea about yet.

It was one thing to take a city, quite another to hold it and rule.

 **-x-**

Harry was right to worry as Parquello smirked, sitting inside his palace. It was the only one to be left alone by the invaders in exchange for the aid he had provided in taking the city. Inside the palace the two Red Priests, Kinvara and Benerro were hiding. He had offered them sanctuary during the sacking and now he would use them to whip up the believers of the Red God against Tyrell and the rest of the naïve fools who followed him.

The man was a fool of the highest order. He had prohibited his forces from killing any child below twelve. He had still killed as many of them as he could but more than three quarter of the brats from noble families were still alive. He had no idea what Tyrell was planning but he would make sure those kids would die and their lines end before this year was out.

He was already drafting letters to the cities in the Slaver's Bay. They would naturally feel threatened by a slave revolt on this scale and would be eager to send men and steel to assist him in restoring things to the way they should be.

* * *

 _Next chapter – Find out what people back home make of Harry and what will he do with now._


	11. Chapter 11 Volantis Woes

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _I' am so sorry this chapter was late, Thunderbird29 has regretfully to much work on to be my beta anymore although he remains a collaborator. I only hope the chapter was worth the wait._

 _ **Warning**_ _– Gory scenes and images some might find disturbing._

 **Chapter 11 – Volantis Woes**

 _ **Highgarden, the Reach…**_

Olenna Tyrell did not feel old.

Regardless of how many wrinkles she had and how much her bones ached she still had the fire that had driven her since she was a young girl to succeed.

Until the moment she opened the letter from Essos, then she really felt every one of her long and busy years. The reason was simple…it contained rather worrying information on her youngest grandson.

Ever since he had fled Hightower and gone travelling to avoid the betrothal that Mace had so foolishly set up with the now dead Lady Ashford, Olenna had done her best to track his movements. While not necessarily the most maternal of women she needed to know her grandson was well and if he might need her help. She had tracked him to Braavos where he had assisted the Whitehelms in gaining power and wealth, a shift in the balance of power that had concerned her at first but it had worked out with the family now building on the wealth her grandson had delivered them in a fight to the death and had good ties to the Iron Bank. A potential ally in the city that held greater power than any of the other Free Cities Olenna thought with a slight smile, something she could possibly exploit in the future.

From there she had tracked him to Lorath where he had worked as a port translator before joining the Golden Company for a short time before departing after killing the company commander and aiding a friend of his to ascend to their new leader. That had given her a start and she had worried for a while that he had the Golden Company as his enemy but it seemed that was not the case given Harry's recent interactions with them much to her relief.

He had started as blacksmith shop in Qohor that until recently at least had done very well and then he had reappeared in Qarth a couple of weeks later where the Tourmaline Brotherhood had suddenly risen too far greater power within the city. She was not stupid, given his actions in Braavos and Qohor she knew Harry was at the very least involved and again it had worried her that he might create more enemies for not just himself but House Tyrell as a whole but nothing had happened so she could soundly sleep at night.

Then something had happened that nearly made her old heart stop, Harry had gone to Yi Ti and for some reason she could not really understand had become commander of the God-Emperor's army. The title alone made her scoff, kings were arrogant enough but to actually consider yourself a god was enough to make her laugh at the sheer foolishness of it. But her grandson had surprised everyone by proving to be very good at leading an army, while she considered waving swords around a waste of time for the most part it was a source of relief at having a capable military commander in her family. She was weary of potential ambition that might be hidden by Randyll Tarly to usurp them as Lords of the Reach and given his reputation as a general being the only man to ever defeat Robert Baratheon, having someone who might have a chance of taking Randyll on would make her sleep better at nights. The recent assassination of the previous God-Emperor and the ascension of his daughter to his throne had soothed any worries she had of trouble from there.

Then had come his latest stunt and truly Olenna thought with real concern for Harry's welfare that he had outdone himself this time.

Her grandson had rallied an army of his own and sacked the city of Volantis.

When the news had reached her she had not believed it at first but now she was forced to accept it…and it terrified her. The position Harry had gotten himself in, the danger of those that were coming for him. Already other Free Cities where rallying armies to claim Volantis and its lands for themselves and not just the Free Cities, Slaver's Bay was also putting its forces together to make sure the slave revolt Harry had started was put down as soon as possible. Armies on all sides of city guarded mostly by sellswords that would turn on Harry if the price was right.

Then there was the matter of feeding the city that held well over a million people, without that the people would soon turn on Harry opening the gates of the city to whoever offered them food. She considered for a moment sending him supplies and men from the Reach but a bellow of anger from the great hall stopped that thought in its tracks.

Someone had told Mace what Harry had done, she realised with dismay. Olenna walked to the Great Hall and was just close enough to hear the voices of her son and two other grandchildren as they argued. Margaery was the first and her voice at least was controlled.

"Father he is your son…you cannot just abandon him!" The words were softly spoken but the desperation in them clear and what Mace said in response angered Olenna greatly.

"HE RAN AWAY LIKE A COWARD RATHER THAN DO HIS DUTY TO THIS FAMILY! LET THE FOOL PERISH FOR ALL I CARE!" Mace shouted acting like the proud fool he was and Loras only compounded that although he at least did not shout like Mace.

"He had his chance to be a lord here in the Reach Margaery, if he had more sense and just done as father instructed and married Lady Ashford. Now he has to deal with the consequences."

Olenna closed her eyes in despair, while she knew she could make/bully Mace into reversing the decision with his stubborn pride it would take more time than Harry had for the help she would send to arrive. Her heart sank as she realised the situation that left Harry in and she could only hope he could get himself out of the mess he had blundered into, in fact she did something she had not done since she was a little girl and went to the sept and prayed for her grandson to gods she was not sure she believed in anymore but ones she hoped would save her grandson.

 **-x-**

 _ **The Red Keep, Kings Landing…**_

Jon Arryn was sitting at the table with the rest of the Small Council waiting for Robert to arrive. It was much to his irritation a long wait before the king of Westeros stumbled into Small Council chamber clearly hung over. The looks of exasperation were not even hidden as everyone looked on while Robert fell into his chair.

"So what is it Jon that you need to wake me at this ungodly hour?" Robert asked with his beard still wet in places from the wine he had been drinking only moments before. Jon gave him a stern look before explaining to his former ward.

"The city of Volantis has been taken by the forces of one Harry Tyrell, we need to decide what if any kind of response we are going to take." Jon said but Littlefinger who Jon had only appointed to the council at the nagging of Lysa then spoke with that annoying and vicious smirk of his.

"The rest of the Cities over in Essos are preparing to fight over the city, the Tyrell's days are numbered." Littlefinger said with certainty not caring either way what happened here as it had no impact on his own plans, Pycelle, Stannis and Renly did not care either but Robert suddenly got an excited glint in his eyes.

"We should send men to aid the young Tyrell then, a conquest like Volantis would be a great battle." Robert said thinking about leading men from Westeros to Volantis so he might finally get to fight again, the anticipation of battles and wars filling him with excitement only for Jon Arryn to spoil his mood.

"We do not have the coin to go to war Robert, none of the noble houses even the boy's own family will risk supporting him. And even if we did it would endanger relations with the Free Cities and peace of Westeros." A brief argument started between Robert and Jon Arryn over the matter but eventually much to Robert's annoyance Jon Arryn won.

Varys however was only half paying attention to the argument between the King and the hand, his main concern was that his backup plan had been compromised. He had pinned his main hopes on the pure born Valyrians, Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen to win back the Iron Throne while keeping the largely Dornish looking Rhaenys Targaryen in reserve just in case something happened. He wished he had time to find a suitable replacement for Baby Aegon as well but the Lannisters had struck the city before he could sneak the boy away leaving only his sister alive.

He could now only hope that no more surprises came his way, the chaos that this situation in Volantis was surely going to create would destabilise most of Essos as all the various factions fought to fill the void left by its largest city.

 **-x-**

 _ **Casterly Rock, the Westerlands…**_

Tywin sat at his desk reading the news from Essos that a rather foolish Tyrell had started a slave revolt in Volantis and had seized the city with an army of sellswords. He stared apathetically at the words written on the parchment, handing it to the son he hated who sat across from him. Tyrion read it quickly before looking back to the father who he hated just as much and asked.

"What do you intend to do? Aiding the young Tyrell could give you the city of Volantis." Tywin merely glared before telling Tyrion in no uncertain terms.

"The boy is foolish if he thinks he can hold a city the size of Volantis with all the factions against him. He is a dead man or soon will be." Tywin said sure of his judgement that nothing could be gained from involving themselves in this.

Tyrion however found himself admiring the young Tyrell, who had travelled the world and now had apparently taken a stand against slavery. Not necessarily a wise one Tyrion admitted but a stand all the same and actually managed to conquer Volantis, he would quite like to meet him if the boy survived the mess he had created for himself Tyrion thought quietly before decided to leave and find some willing whore and ale somewhere.

 **-x-**

 _ **The Iron Bank, Braavos…**_

Tycho Nestoris was pondering over the situation in Volantis and the wider implications it had unintentionally created. While the Iron Bank was first and foremost a business it had never supported slavery, due to the fact the city it stood in being founded by escaping slaves and instead focused on other means of making money and had through those means become the richest and most powerful of all the merchant banks in the known world.

The coming war between all of the Free Cities would create a large number of opportunities for the Iron Bank while it was being fought and after during the reconstruction, Tycho was already in his mind planning ahead for this but also wondering about the Tyrell boy responsible for unsettling the balance of power in Essos. He remembered their brief meeting years ago when he had aided the Whitehelms and wondered if the risk taker could find his way out of the situation he had created. If Harry Tyrell could…then he might be someone worth reaching out to Tycho thought with a calculating look in his eye as he returned to work.

 **-x-**

 _ **Pentos…**_

Illyrio Mopatis was watching the two Targaryens he had taken in, while he trusted his friend Varys he doubted whether they had a single hope of reclaiming their throne. While the girl Daenerys did show the occasional signs of being a capable and strong queen, she was still clinging to the lies of her brother and timid half the time.

The brother on the other hand was easily the most arrogant and conceited fool Illyrio had ever met and in his life he had known quite a few. Unable to accept that his family was flawed he had blamed all of their shortcomings on others and seemed to believe he was a king already and all he had to do was land on the continent and everyone would bow at his feet, doing anything he pleased. Illyrio shook his head, knowing a bad investment when he saw one and decided to press on with his plans to marry Daenerys to Khal Drogo. All those Dothraki would be a boon to their plans, his only real problem was he would have to wait a few years yet as Daenerys was not old enough.

Plans which he knew would need adjusting with the events happening near Volantis.

News had spread fast with nearly all of the Free Cities putting armies together to go and claim Volantis for themselves, along with the Slaver Cities. It would he knew be a great opportunity to expand his influence if carefully manipulated, he would however keep events as much as possible from the Targaryens, it would not do to give Viserys ideas to try something stupid.

 **-x-**

 _ **Beyond the Wall, Westeros…**_

From his enormous Weirwood tree the Three Eyed Raven looked at the events unfolding in the world and pondered on how the future was shifting in response. It was he thought like trying to look through distorted water that had not settled yet, the threat of the Others was growing stronger every day and this interference was not helping his planning the Raven thought angrily but it might hopefully stop things from becoming as bleak as he had foreseen.

* * *

 _ **Volantis…**_

Unaware of the wider implications of his invasion of the city, Harry slowly woke with his head aching badly from a hangover. He had drunken more than his share of ale last night at the victory party and now he realised as he slowly got out of bed with his head pounding like a war drum. The cool air felt very cold after leaving his warm sheets but as he went to get a drink of water in hopes of clearing his head, he caught sight of other people in his bed. Blinking several times he realised much to his own surprise that he had; Rhaenys, Alys, Zara and Myria all naked in his bed. He froze momentarily and winced as he felt pain in his nether regions, he could only just recall one of the girls as drunk as he saying that he could not handle one woman let along more than one. He had refuted that strongly and she had then dared him to try and fuck all four of them.

Things were a bit more blurry after that but he could just recall their 'activities' and he could scarcely believe it, but one thing that did worry him was what the women would do when they realised what had taken place that night. Seeing that for the moment they were still sleeping soundly Harry got dressed and left them to rest, feeling nervous about what they might say when they eventually woke up.

He walked through the corridors of his temporary command centre, the Ryndoon bank complex. While it did not have underground vaults as extensively as others, the complex was large and had walls with defence towers making it possibly the most defensible structure in Eastern Volantis. The vaults had been cleared out by his men but Harry had managed to collect enough gold to replace the coin he had spent on the sellswords and there were a few interesting objects that had been found in the private vaults which he needed to talk to Rhaenys about later.

Going to get something to eat Harry was glad to see Kanoro and Jothos Velaryon coming the other way. He gave both men a smile but it was not returned, in fact both men looked rather disturbed by something. Harry's smile faded away as he came face to face with them and asked.

"Is something the matter?" Kanoro and Jothos looked at each other before Kanoro.

"A few of our men were just burned alive by Red God Followers."

Harry grimaced as he thought about the problem that faced them now.

 **-x-**

A group of non-repentant Red God followers all sat in the cells glaring at Harry as he studied them, what worried him most was that they were freed slaves, the horsehead tattoos on their faces identified them as stable boys not Tiger Cloaks or in service to the Priests of R'hllor.

Just stable boys, ordinary citizens that they had freed from chains only for their actions to be rewarded with blood and fire. It was then that Harry realised what he was facing now, an enemy even more difficult to defeat than the former rulers of this city. Religious Zealots…fanatics with no goal in mind but to cause as much fear and destruction as possible for their supposed god, hiding in the homes of citizens and only striking the weakest points.

Killing these stable boys Harry realised with annoyance would accomplish nothing, they would just become martyrs to their cause and a rallying call for whoever was pulling their strings…Parquello and some surviving Red Priests no doubt Harry thought darkly as he left the men in their filth along with all the slavers and other prisoners that they had not had a chance to put to trial yet. Climbing the stairs out of the prison they established in one of the manses, Harry rubbed his temple as a headache was brewing. How in the hell was he supposed to deal with this? He asked himself but he could not think of an answer as he returned to the Ryndoon Bank complex to meet with the leaders of his various forces.

For obvious reasons Parquello had not been told about this meeting, but Kanoro and the rest of the former Pit fighters were there, the leaders of the Golden Company, Second Sons and the Windblown then finally Rhaenys and Jothos Velaryon. He did not even have time to share a glance at Rhaenys before Crixus and Gannicus spoke in furious voices.

"I WANT THEM DEAD!"

"THOSE FUCKERS NEED TO PAY FOR OUR MEN!"

"QUIET!" Harry shouted back, his headache getting worst as the problems mounted and the last thing he needed was an argument with his own men. Turning to Barca and Sula he said. "Get men to go and search the city for Red Priests, these zealots are being encouraged by those fuckers and I want them found." The two men nodded and went to attend to it but Harry then had a flash of inspiration and shouted out to them before they left the room. "On second thoughts, move one of our prisoners to one of the surface cells and let him escape." The roar from Gannicus and Crixus was so loud that Harry had to shout to be heard over them much to his annoyance. "THEN FOLLOW HIM, FIND OUT WHO HE RUNS TO, THEN WE WILL FIND THE REST OF THEIR BAND AND THE RED PRIESTS."

Barca and Sula looked around the room before nodding to Harry and left to follow their orders, Kanoro meanwhile was glaring threateningly at Crixus and Gannicus while they continued to stare hatefully at Harry. The Sellsword companies, Rhaenys and Jothos looked on, wondering who would win this battle of wills.

"WE NEED TO KILL THOSE FUCKERS FOR WHAT THEY DID TO OUR MEN!" Gannicus yelled, angrier than Harry had ever seen him and while Harry was able to rein his temper back in enough to speak in a normal tone but there was a sharp edge to it.

"If we execute those murderers all we are doing is making them martyrs to their cause, dozens maybe hundreds would flock to their banner and then we will never be rid of them. So instead we use them to root out the entire network." Harry's eyes glinted hard and he stared at Crixus and Gannicus and they stared right back before both men left without a backwards glance, worrying Harry and as if to add to that weight that was pressing down on him they sellsword commanders excused themselves before he could speak to them.

That left a very worried and tense Harry in a room with Kanoro, Rhaenys and Jothos. They watched as Harry walked over to the table and poured himself a drink of water and sighed. Harry then finally admitted a truth that he had been hoping not to face.

"We cannot hold the city."

The four of them looked sadly on, knowing in their hearts he was right. Harry did not need to explain but as his depression started pouring out he explained how he had come to this conclusion.

"We haven't the men, not for all the forces that are arrayed against us. Outsiders wanting the city for themselves and there are still elements within the city that would betray us, Kanoro…how much food do we have?" Harry asked and his second in command answered with a worry that answered his.

"To feed the city, eight months at the most."

"And no one will be willing to sell to us, the Summer Islands perhaps but that would put them at odds with most of their trading partners. The Naath do not have the infrastructure to produce that much food and feed themselves and that is assuming we aren't blockaded by an enemy fleet. The Sellswords loyalty will always be suspect and without new men or equipment we will be overwhelmed."

Harry feeling the weight of his miscalculation put his head in his heads. He had overreached himself, risen so high only now was threatened with a huge fall.

The silence in the room after that was thick with tension as they all absorbed the information and felt the gravity of the situation that they were in. A voice at the side however shocked all of them to their feet.

"Fear and Despair are the weapons of your enemies, but they only have power if you let them."

They all looked and saw Jaqen H'ghar had entered the room while they were talking and Jothos and Rhaenys who had to their own knowledge never met the Faceless Man before became anxious and reached for their weapons but Harry and Kanoro relaxed slightly.

"You took your time. Where were you earlier when we needed information about the city?" Harry asked furiously, that had nearly stopped their plan in its tracks and if they had not encountered Rhaenys in the forest it could have delayed their plan for days. The Festival would have happened before they had the chance to stop it.

Jaqen however did not show any expression at all as usual which only served to irritate all of them, he spoke calmly but there was a seriousness to it, letting them know whatever had brought him here was important, so vital that he did not answer the question and went straight to business.

"The Cities of Slaver's Bay are sending a large army here to assist Parquello in the restoration of slavery here and the city of Qohor has hired a Khal with a large horde to attack you, both are being played against each other by Parquello for his own gain." He explained the dispensation of the enemy forces to them all but Harry was lost in thought, wondering if they could hold the city against two armies when suddenly he realised a number of things in his favour. There was no enemy navy, neither force would be willing to work together and Parquello did not know that they were aware of his communicating with their enemies.

A plan started to evolve in his mind, one that could save all of their lives and get them out of the situation that they were ensnared in. Key to it was Parquello and for a moment Harry was glad that he had kept him alive, he would be more useful than they had imagined.

With that in mind he turned to Kanoro and said with renewed confidence and determination.

"I think we might be able to use this but first how many ships are in the harbour?" Harry asked and Kanoro was shocked to see Harry was thinking of leaving so quickly but nevertheless he answered the question.

"Seven hundred ships of different sizes, too few to evacuate all of our people."

"Leave that to me." Harry said with a smirk surprising him and the rest of the people in the room, he grabbed a piece of parchment and a nearby quill carefully drawing a pair of shapes on to it before handing it to Kanoro. "Have all the stone masons you can find carve these symbols into small pieces of stone, about a thousand should do. Then have two months' worth of supplies moved to the harbour warehouses and put under guard as well as getting all ships ready to sail. Make sure their crews are with us, we will have a long journey." Harry said with a smile and Kanoro although highly confused did as his friend and leader commanded.

Rhaenys came up to him while Jaqen excused himself and Jothos looked on confused.

"I hope you know what you are doing." She said looking worried and uncertain but he kept smiling and mindful of Jothos being in the room whispered something in her ear that he thought would explain everything.

"Magic."

For a moment Rhaenys looked so annoyed that she might slap him but sighed a long suffering sigh and was about to leave to go and see her ladies when Harry stopped her.

"Hold for a moment, when we were checking the personal vaults of the bank we discovered a strange collection of objects that belonged to your former captor. I think you might want to take a look." Harry said suddenly becoming serious, he had meant to mention the discovery to her last night but the drink had made him forgetful. She nodded looking confused again but followed as he led her and Jothos to the vault in question, which was held in the basement of the building. The feet echoed loudly on steps as they went down the marble steps, the air becoming strangely cold as they descended making them unconsciously shiver.

The gate was locked shut but Harry easily opened it with his key, showing Rhaenys and Jothos inside. It was a large room, not a hall but certainly bigger than a normal dining room and on plinths around the room was a strange collection of objects. There was a few crowns glinting in the torch light alongside jewellery, a glided chalice, elaborate armour, a few weapons and a set of old journals. The interesting thing was that nearly all of them were styled after dragons.

Walking over to one of the crowns Rhaenys picked it up, not sure why Harry had thought to show it to her except that they would be worth a small fortune. Then as she turned the crown in her hands did she realise why he had shown her. This crown was the best example, made of red gold it was heavy and had dragons with jewels for eyes at each point. She remembered it vaguely, on display in the Red Keep turning around her eyes widened with recollection of the other dragon objects too.

She threw the crown she was holding to the floor with a vicious snarl and turned to look at Harry with anger.

"These are Targaryen treasures, they are nothing to do with me!" She said the hurt and pain inflicted on her so many years ago by her father and his family bring bitter tears to her eyes.

Harry knew of her hatred but felt he had to show them to her, Jothos however who had been trying for years to get her to be more open to her father's bloodline then said the worst thing he could have said.

"You are a Targaryen, these belong to you by right."

Rhaenys was quiet for only a moment before she started to turn red with fury and screamed obscenities at both men that would have made a hardened sailor blush before running clear out of the room. Jothos and Harry wanted to run after her but knew it would not be appreciated right now, so they took a detailed inventory of the contents.

Many Targaryen crowns sat in the vault, both kings and queens including the crown of Aegon 4th that Jothos returned to its plinth and that of Jaehaerys the 1st, not mention jewellery some of it belonging to Rhaenys' own namesake the original Rhaenys Targaryen sister to Aegon the Conqueror. The famed chalice of Aenys the 1st that had often been used at royal weddings, battle armour belonging to Daeron the 1st and Maekar the 1st, their weapons and finally some of the personal journals of different Kings of Westeros and a few of their queens too.

It was a great find Harry thought, much of it having been sold by Robert Baratheon to raise coin after the war after Jothos had taken and hidden the Targaryen gold. It had ended up here and Harry was beginning to suspect it was here in preparation for the day when the Targaryens were supposed to take back the Iron Throne.

Some of it however was not of Targaryen origin, looking over to the back of the vault two objects were out of place amongst the dragon pieces, one was a crown but it was not gold like the others in here or made of precious metals of any kind. It had a simple design with several sword like prongs around its coronet but it was the wolf emblem that gave its identity.

Harry held it in his hand, the Crown of Winter he realised with awe. The oldest crown in here and had been given up by the Starks when they bent the knee to Aegon the Conqueror and held as a trophy. It was hardly a statement of wealth but instead of northern practicality and hardiness. Harry was suddenly struck by the desire to put it on but he resisted. This was not meant for him Harry thought with humility, he had never wanted to be a king and put it back down before turning to the other strange object in the room.

It was a mural, a very old one Harry thought with interest as he carefully studied it, the images seemed to depict some kind of war between men and white demon creatures in the midst of winter, showing the course of several bloody battles and the methods used by men to fight them. What its exact meaning was would take some time to uncover but what Harry asked himself was this thing doing here? In a vault full of Targaryen relics, it had little in the way of material value except in terms of being historically interesting. Rhaegar Targaryen had been obsessed with ancient mysteries Harry remembered as he took a careful look at the mural, maybe this was something to do with him, that and the Stark Crown.

Vowing to recover it and the Crown of Winter at least later Harry and Jothos left the room and secured the entrance and left the vaults.

 **-x-**

While Jothos took the job of finding all the deeds to the ships in the harbour amongst all the different documents that they had seized not sure if he would be welcome with his princess yet, Harry finally caught up with Rhaenys. She was sitting in one of the solar's looking blankly out across the city, not really seeing any of it.

He body was prone, she might as well have been a statue for how still she sat, if fact it was only her breath against the glass window that told him she was alive at first glance. Harry sat beside her and said slowly, worried for her state of mind.

"How are you feeling now?" He asked her, not sure of what she might say if anything.

Rhaenys was slow to respond but she eventually turned her head to face him, saying in a voice that was so timid and uncertain it made her sound more like a child.

"I don't know." Harry was not sure what to say but one thing was clear.

"You need to deal with this hatred for your father's family, if you don't let it go it will only poison the rest of your life." Harry dared to say, knowing it needed to be said but was ready for an angry outburst but instead Rhaenys seemed to huddle up next to him and said.

"I wish my mother was here, she was so wise and understanding. She would know what to do." Rhaenys said as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Harry put his arm around her and they just stayed like that for a while, letting her draw strength from him. He knew how he could help her but was worried at her reaction to his suggestion, so he tightened up his resolve and looked her straight in the eye.

"I can make that happen but if I do then this will be the only time I will ever do it." He told her sternly while Rhaenys looked at him confused.

"What?" She asked not sure if he was joking or not but Harry took the Resurrection Stone off his finger and turned it over in his had three times, concentrating on Elia Martell. The ghost of the Princess of Dorne and Rhaenys' mother simmered into existence in the centre of the room, Rhaenys gasped at the sight and wanted to run over to embrace her mother, overwhelmed at the sight she was held firmly still in Harry's arms who stayed quiet so mother and daughter could talk.

"Mother?" Rhaenys said with tears running down her face and her voice shaking, Elia's ghost smiled sadly.

"My daughter, you're so beautiful." Elia said with sad pride. Their hands reached out and both were heartbroken when they found Rhaenys' hand went straight through Elia's, Elia pulled back and instead told her. "I am so proud of you, so strong and smart. I only wish I was there to help you now. Your uncles will if you let them know you are alive." Elia added.

Rhaenys was quiet for a while, not sure of what to say. She had no proof of her identity that she could present to her uncles Doran and Oberyn, why would they believe her Rhaenys thought sadly? Elia then said something that riled Rhaenys greatly.

"Your grandmothers and I have watched you from the very start. You could convince them, I know you can."

"GRANDMOTHER!" Rhaenys shouted surprising both Harry and Rhaenys at her sudden change of mood. "THAT BITCH RHAELLA LEFT ME, YOU AND AEGON TO DIE IN THE RED KEEP WHILE SHE RAN AWAY TO DRAGONSTONE WITH HER OWN BROOD! SHE IS NO FAMILY OF MINE!"

Elia's face fell as she saw the rage in her daughter that had built up against her own blood. However much she denied it, Rhaenys was a Targaryen and fighting against it was a futile struggle against her own nature, it would destroy her if she let it so Elia tried to tell her the truth that no one else had apparently bothered to.

"No, no your grandmother loved you! She was the first to welcome you into the world when you were born, proudly called you her little princess. She had not had a daughter of her own…not then anyway and delighted at having a girl to lavish her attention on. She wanted to take us all to Dragonstone with her but your grandfather would not allow it." Elia told Rhaenys quickly. "Do you not remember when she would put you on her knee and tell you stories of all the queens of Westeros? You loved those stories, clapping your hands and giving her hugs and kisses which she returned just as eagerly. Do you not remember?" Elia looked imploring her daughter to try.

Rhaenys was stunned at her mother's words and hazy images stirred in her memories, previously blocked out by anger and pain. She could just remember a silver haired woman pointing to portraits on the walls and telling her stories as she sat on her knee. It was hard to grasp it, slipping through her proverbial fingers like smoke.

"Did she?" Rhaenys asked, unsettled as the anger against her father's family warred with this reawakened memory.

"Not all of your father's family were monsters, your father and grandfather made have been terrible or neglectful men but your grandmother was not and there are ancestors of yours to be proud of. Make peace with your heritage, if not for your own sake then do for me." Elia said with a smile, she then turned to Harry and told him. "Take care of my daughter for me will you?"

Harry nodded, he had already sworn that he would protect Rhaenys and he would not allow any harm to come to her.

 **-x-**

After an hour of talking Elia had returned to the afterlife and Rhaenys had needed some time to herself to absorb all her mother had told her. Harry had handed her the journal of Alysanne Targaryen, the queen of Jaehaerys the Conciliator the greatest of all Targaryen Kings. Never had the realm prospered as much as it had under him and his queen was said to have been a great advisor and a key to much of his success. She had looked thoughtfully at the journal and told him she would consider reading it, but still refused to shift her positon on her father and grandfather.

Harry hoped it would help but he had work to do, namely discovering if the sellsword leaders were still with him. Balaq he knew would be, they were still under contract and the Golden Company would never risk their reputation for gold they would lose too many customers if they did. That left Daario and the Tattered Prince.

He found Daario in a tavern enjoying some ale, the sellsword laughed when he saw him and jested.

"The king of Volantis, come to have some ale and be with the little people." Daario said loudly and Harry was somehow not annoyed at the jest and instead poured himself an ale, throwing it back without coughing. Daario seemed surprised but instead poured himself another and banged his cup against Harry's before taking a drink.

"Enjoying yourself?" Harry asked with a smile, taking a seat opposite Daario who cheerfully gestured around him.

"Why wouldn't I? I have more gold than I ever dreamed of, command of the second largest sellsword company in the world. How about you?" Daario said, not caring if Harry answered or not.

"Can't complain." Harry said, picking up his ale again got the man a few more rounds. They talked about their past exploits for a bit but it was more than enough to give Harry a good picture of Daario's personality. He would only kill a man that was trying to kill him first and never took a woman by force, good points in his favour Harry thought. Daario would not betray him as they were still under contract.

 **-x-**

After taking a large hangover potion to sober up after his drinking session with Daario, he went to see the Tattered Prince. Unlike his counterpart in the Second Sons, the leader of the Windblown was drilling his men in swordplay to keep them sharp. Harry approved of this, making sure his men stayed strong and disciplined but he stopped when he saw Harry and dismissed his men so they could talk again.

"How are your men shaping up?" Harry asked, needing to start the conversation somewhere.

"Good, some of them are former slaves who wanted to leave the city by joining us." The Tattered Prince said but he looked uneasy, not able to look Harry in the eye. Harry's suspicions were aroused immediately and he managed to use legilimency to look into his surface thoughts. Apparently Parquello had tried to bribe him and although he had not taken the gold just yet, he had not turned it down either. His sense of honour was warring with his greed and had nearly justified the betrayal by thinking Harry was doomed and it was the only way to save the Windblown.

Harry was not pleased at this to say this least and had to struggle not to react before he realised, he could use this to help make his plan far easier. It was a good opportunity, so he confronted the Tattered Prince.

"Parquello offered you gold to betray us, didn't he?"

The Tattered Prince had the decency to look ashamed but since he had not actually taken the gold, Harry judged he had some integrity. He altered his plan to accommodate for this and with a smile.

"How would like to get that gold and a Valyrian steel sword as a bonus."

The Tattered Prince looked at him surprised but intrigued…so he listened.

* * *

 _ **Three Hours later…**_

Parquello was smiling widely as he handed over the gold to the Tattered Prince who looked at him with steely calm, taking it without question.

"Thank you, I am sure our contract will give you and your men much in the way of spoils." Parquello said with his cold eyes, it made the Tattered Prince want to shiver but he stopped himself knowing to sell this deception he had to play his part to perfection. He surprised himself by managing to keep his composure and play the part of the ruthless sellsword out only for gold convincingly.

Once he left the palace he breathed a sigh of relief and got on his horse to ride back to the merchant bank building where Harry Tyrell and the other leaders were waiting. Looking around the city, he could feel something unpleasant in the air which had nothing to do with corpses or the like. It was the tension in the city, the freed slaves worried that they were about to lose their new liberty, the Red God followers plotting the downfall of the 'heretical invaders' and others plotting or worrying for their own reasons. It made him glad not to live like these people, but to fight for coin and that alone, no politics in that the only reason he had not betrayed Harry Tyrell was that they were still under contract. His own personal code of honour would not let him betray a client while under contract and this way guaranteed him the best outcome for him and his men.

Arriving at the buildings in question, he dismounted his horse and walked inside. The guards were vigilant and he felt their eyes on him as he moved, he nodded his approval as he passed. Reaching the main office he was greeted by his current employer Harry Tyrell with his men Kanoro & Crixus, Balaq of the Golden Company and Daario of the Second Sons. All looked at him expectantly but it was Harry Tyrell that spoke.

"Did he swallow the bait?" Harry asked his face blank of emotion. The Tattered Prince nodded, which made Harry nod.

"Good." Harry said before he turned to talk to everyone else. "Now he will communicate our supposed plan for the defence of the city to our enemies, they will expect us to hold up in the eastern side of the city since it is the most defensible and for now our people will stay in there for the next three days till the night before they arrive, we will use dummies to make the walls look fully manned to sell the illusion. Then we will move our people into the Western side and the sellswords will escape while our enemies fight it out at the eastern gate which the Windblown will 'compromise' for them." Harry said briefly outlining his plan, Parquello's playing of their enemies against each other might have been a master stroke if they were on the same page. But neither the Dothraki nor slaver army would be working together as they were hired by cities who both wanted Volantis for themselves. This would provide the distraction that Harry and his people to escape. "They also will believe that the harbour gate is still inoperable and cannot be opened, so we are unable to leave by sea."

He was about to say more but Crixus interrupted him.

"Most of the slaves and me will be going with the sellswords, most of us freed slaves feel the same that we still have work to do here. As long as men and women toil in chains there is still work to be done. Gannicus, Naevia, Saxa, Barca and Sula agree." Crixus said with a sad smile that seemed strange on the normally savage warrior, Harry nodded knowing better than to try and talk him out of it. How many people that left for him to evacuate he would need to look at but for now that did make he knew his job slightly easier.

"We strike at Parquello and his men tonight, once he has told our enemies what we want him too. We keep up the charade in case other spies are listening. Agreed?" Harry asked the men in the room who nodded.

Secrecy was crucial for this to succeed.

He handed over the sword he had promised later, nothing great just one of the simpler blades in his collection but the Tattered Prince was more than happy with his new weapon. With that done he went to his tent and retrieved some particular magical objects he needed for the next stage. The first of which was the chalice he had taken from the House of the Undying in Qarth, while he was loathed to use such a device it was crucial to his escape plans. Second was his rune carving kit and the third being one of the time turners he had salvaged in Valyria. While he still had days before the enemy arrived that was not really enough time for what he had in mind so he thought with a smirk, he would have to buy some more.

* * *

 _ **Later that night…**_

Parquello was slipping his wine with the supreme confidence that he would soon be the leader of this city and all the power which the position commanded. He had two armies he was playing against each other and a large force of sellswords at his command, everything was going as he planned. He carefully examined the delicate crystal flute he was slipping from, it was beautifully made, the work of glass workers in Qohor and styled with beautiful patterns. It had cost a fortune but it was a sign of status and wealth that he could show off.

He was about to go and enjoy one of his concubines or perhaps go down to the cellar to relive his latest hobby when he was alerted by a battle horn, the shock of the sound was enough to make him throw the crystal flute away to smash against the wall while he rushed to the nearest window to see what in the hell was going on out there. His shock was so great that he could not speak as he took in what he was seeing, his palace was surrounded by sellswords, freed slaves and other recruits all waving that hawk banner of Harry Tyrell. He was confused not understanding how this could be? How had they found out about him?

Then he saw the Tattered Prince standing at the side of fucking Harry Tyrell as they readied their rams to force their way into the palace, and everything became terribly clear. He had been betrayed, clearly getting a higher payment from Tyrell in exchange for making a mockery of him and taking his gold. He was steaming with rage at the treachery and momentarily forgot the situation right in front of him, until the gate was caved in by the elephant pushed cart.

The sound of wood shattering alerted him to the breach of his palace's elaborate gates, the sounds of screams told him that his guards were being overwhelmed quickly, not surprising given they were only a handful of inexperienced men against thousands of hardened fighters. He was shaking with fear as he realised his fate was certain.

 **-x-**

Harry was with his men as they broke into the palace, the inexperienced and outnumbered guards were being overwhelmed really fast. He did not smile however as much as he wanted too, there was work to be done. He was one of the first to get through the doors and easily cut down two guards who tried to stop him, stabbing one through the gut and cutting the arm off another before finishing him with decapitation.

He rushed forward and started to search the building with his men, they had followed the Red Priests here and they were hiding somewhere in this building. Kanoro at his request rushed past him to the upper levels to secure Parquello so Harry went to the lower levels to see if the Red Priests were hiding there. Gannicus followed him, eager to fight and hoping there were more men below.

The two men crept down the steps in the cellars and they were greeted by a terrible smell, rancid and they looked at each other and they winced at the strength of it. They kept on going on down the stairs regardless wondering what could be creating such a horrible stench and it became worst and worst as they went further. Arriving eventually at the source of the smell with their eyes watering at the sheer strength of it, they kicked the door open and what they saw nearly made them…two battle hardened men vomit.

Inside was the desiccated, burned and mutilated corpses of children stuffed all over the place. In horror they shared a look before almost against their will went into the room to discover just what they had found.

Body Parts and blood covered the floor so they carefully moved, the sights would remain engraved in their memories for the rest of their lives. Unable to stay in their any longer they left the room swiftly not willing to see any more, Gannicus asked him as they move quickly back up the stairs.

"Who were they?" The proud and brave warrior was shaken badly by what he had just seen down there. Harry was not much better and could only guess from what he had seen.

"The children of the Old Blood, the silver hair and whatever traces of clothing they have left gives it away." Harry was struggling to control his stomach and had to out his hand over his mouth. In all his travels he had never seen something that brutal and vicious…ever. He knew Parquello's ambition was great but he had never dreamed the man would do that to children! They must have been so scared when he killed them, Harry realised and a fury began to build up inside him. An anger and need for vengeance that would not be denied so his face twisted with fury, he followed by an equally furious Gannicus.

They found Kanoro and Crixus in the solar on the top of the palace with Parquello and a Red Priest named Benerro tied to chairs. Gannicus was about to walked over and tear their heads from their shoulders with his bare hands but Harry stopped him with a sharp look and instead asked him with a cold voice that allowed no room for argument.

"Go and check the rest of the palace for any other prisoners, I will deal with these two myself." Harry told Gannicus who was about to argue back but the hard glare of Harry broke his resolve and he nodded leaving as fast as his legs would carry him. Harry turned to Kanoro and Crixus who looked at him with obvious confusion at his change in attitude so he told them.

"Go to the cellars, I think you will find what is down there as enough reason for him to be executed with the rest of the prisoners tomorrow in the main square now the scaffold has been put up."

"Tomorrow?" Crixus said surprised at the abruptness of the executions. They had taken many prisoners while invading the city, mostly slavers or supporters of the Red Priests. Two thousand in all that were wasting away in the city's jails. Why the sudden urgency they did not understand but regardless they left to see whatever Harry and Gannicus had found in the cellar.

With that done, Harry closed the door and locked it firmly with his magic so he would not be disturbed and turned back to the bound and gagged Parquello and Benerro, he face was as immovable as stone as he looked at them. His fury burning just below the surface but Harry did not let it out…yet.

He did not shout and instead prowled around his prisoners, he spoke slowly to them wanting them to know just what they had brought on themselves.

"I honestly had no intention of ruling this city, I still don't. I was going to set up a new leadership and move on but I got stuck here, fighting the corrupt in and outside the city with nearly a million people at risk. Then I found what you two had done in the cellar and as I stand here now I have had an epiphany, the victor is never the one with the most honour, or followers but instead the one with the greatest cunning, someone who will do anything they must to succeed." Harry said standing right in front of Parquello and looking the man straight in the eye. He glared defiantly back at Harry who did not hit him however pleasant he would have found it.

"Sometimes you have to give up honour, doing the right thing to win if that is what is best for everyone and get rid of whatever or whoever is in your way." Harry said with his eyes focusing into cold hard stone as he reached out with his magic and forced his way into Parquello's mind. The merchant prince felt it immediately as blinding pain erupted inside his skull, he screamed into his gag but could do nothing and Harry forced his way deeper and deeper into his mind pulling any information he wanted clear from Parquello's memories and thoughts.

A secret stash of gold Harry thought with distain that was the first secret he found, not useful Harry thought with venom and dived deeper to find more useful information. The names and locations of all his spies and those who worked for other powers that Parquello had identified, the size of the Dothraki horde coming from Qohor and the force of Unsullied from Slaver's Bay, evenly matched in numbers Harry thought that was helpful and the knowledge that both were going to target the eastern gate.

Pushing deeper he found many dirty little secrets but nothing really useful to the situation but when he found the memories of what had happened to those children, Harry stopped and retreated back out of Parquello's mind. Harry looked down at the man in disgust but no longer could he glare back and had long stopped screaming, Parquello just sat there staring into space, drool running down his chin as his eyes were blank and unfocused.

What he had just done to the scheming psychopath in front of him was the worst kind of mental probe, scanning surface thoughts was relatively gentle, most would never even know unless they were sensitive to such things or aware you were doing it. Deeper probes would hurt but often leave them with nothing more than a headache if done with great care. Harry on the other hand had simply ripped the knowledge he wanted from the other man's mind, given what Parquello had done to those children he had no sympathy for him and felt justice was done. The supposedly great game player reduced to a mindless wreck.

Turning to Benerro the Red Priest who was staring in horror at Parquello Harry stared impassively, he had partaken in that slaughter down in the cellar, burning several children in worship of his gods so he Harry thought with cold detachment would receive the same treatment as Parquello as anyone who could burn children alive and feel joy at their pain was not going to get any mercy from him Harry thought with cold fury.

 **-x-**

When Kanoro and Crixus came back with their own faces twisted with rage at the gory scene in the cellar they were briefly rendered speechless when they burst in through the door to find Parquello and Benerro staring blankly at the ceiling of the room, whoever they had been no longer looking out from their eyes which were glazed and unfocused. Where it not for the fact you could see their chests move slightly with breathing, you could easily think them to be dead.

Harry was leaning against the wall nearby and did not hesitate to issue his orders.

"I have the names of their co-conspirators across the city and the Red God zealots that have been preying on our men. They and the rest of the prisoners are to be executed tomorrow in the main square." Harry said not caring how the two men were staring in shock at the state he had left their two prisoners in, they had important work to do and not much time to do it. The enemy armies would be here in less than three days and they still had so many elements of his plan to put into place however thanks to the time turner he had managed to get a lot more done than anyone else knew.

 _ **Flashback…Five Days Earlier**_

 _Safely inside his tent, Harry as his counterpart had once done with Hermione in the other world turned the time turner over as many times as he dared, taking himself back in time a full day. He looked quickly out of his tent to confirm he was where he wanted to be and smiled at seeing himself walking past with Kanoro. Returning inside the tent he wrote out his letter and stamped it with a wax rose seal._

 _He grabbed his cloak and pulled its hood over his head before putting the letter in his pocket and disappearing with a pop. He was instantly aware of the greater humidity as soon as he arrived, casting a disillusioning charm over himself he looked around with a warm feeling of nostalgia. It had only been a month or so since the battle with the slavers but Jhala was going about its normal business. Smiling Harry walked quickly through the streets to the palace of the prince. He passed the guards completely unseen and made his way to the solar of the prince, placing the letter on his desk. He thought it best not to show himself in case any awkward questions were asked as to how he had gotten here so fast._

 _He had to wait twenty minutes before the Prince finally arrived, he saw the letter and read it astonished at who it was from and what Harry was begging him for. But given the debt he and the other rulers in the Summer Isles owed him, the Prince started making the arrangements Harry had asked for, putting together the ships Harry desperately needed._

 _Harry felt instantly relieved, the three hundred ships he needed would come from the Summer Isles and carry them to where he chosen to settle the freed slaves and smallfolk who joined him, currently according to Jothos Velaryon numbering just over thirty five thousand. It would be a stretch but with magic on two ships to hold all the supplies they would need and strengthening rune stones on every one of the thousand ships so they could survive the journey it could be done. In a couple of days the rune stones would be finished by the stonemasons. Then all that would be needed was to charge them._

 _He had a plan for that too but that would wait for now, he had to go and check out the Stepstones to see if it was a suitable place for his people to put down roots. So he apparated away to scout the islands out and find a place for them to land._

 _ **Flashback Ends…**_

Harry exited his memories and went to get his plan for charging the rune stones underway, getting on his horse and riding to the main city square where a large scaffold had already been set up for executions hence why they were using it. Once slaves had been killed here for trying to escape, now it would be used to kill the men who had held the chains, Harry felt it was poetic justice with a grim look.

The raised platform was large and boarded over, leaving a concealed space underneath which was perfect for Harry who carefully removed one of the boards and slipped underneath. A few charms and it was empty of rats or waste, so he climbed inside and using the light charm to begin carving the runic array he would need on the floor. It took quite a while as he was working in limited light and had to get everything just right otherwise it would not work and he really needed it too. For him to charge all those rune stones himself would take weeks and leave him nearly dead from using too much magic so he was going to take a really nasty shortcut. Once the array was complete and he had triple checked it just to be sure, he reached into his bag and pulled out the chalice he had taken from the Warlocks in Qarth. It revolted him just to have the thing in his hands, what it had been used for but he had little other option. The executions of all the slavers would charge the chalice and he could use that to in turn charge the rune stones for nearly a month which would be enough time to get his people to the Stepstones.

Harry stared at the chalice for a moment after putting it in place, wanting desperately to throw it back into a secure trunk but with time short he had to do this, for the sake of his people.

 **-x-**

 _ **Back at the Palace…**_

While Harry was setting his plan into motion, Caelys walked annoyed into the palace that formally belonged to Parquello. She was furious at being 'summoned' at this time of night and having to leave her daughter with Jothos Velaryon and his wife because apparently her skills were needed and no other healer could be trusted. Infuriated at the lateness of the hour she marched up the steps making even trained soldiers' jump out of her way she appeared so angry.

She found Gannicus waiting for her, she was used to the former pit fighter flirting or joking with her but his angry face actually made her stop for a moment before she continued walking towards him.

"Gannicus. What is going on?" She asked unsettled by the anger of his face however it was not she realised directed at her. "What is so important that it couldn't wait till morning? Did we have many wounded from storming the palace?"

"No." He told her without any of his normal humour which only made her fell more unnerved. "We discovered some a lot of bad shit in there tonight, not least of which was some of the bastard's concubines who need looking at. Most won't let any of the men near them and you are our best healer. If anyone can reach them it is you, follow me." Gannicus said and the dark look in his eye stopped Caelys asking what else they had found here, if it was that bad that it reduced the normally humorous and flirtatious Gannicus to such a dark mood then she wanted nothing to do with it. So she followed him through the ornate hallways of the large palace until they arrived at the harem such as it was.

The women were covered with bruises and scars, some she could tell even at a distance went back years. The reason for their distrust of men now painfully obvious and her heart went out to them immediately so she pulled her satchel from her shoulder and got to work. Some of the women scrambled back when she approached, tugging on her heartstrings. She so wanted to help them but needed to gain their trust so she knelt down and extended her empty and open hands to them but for a moment nothing happened. She was so worried that no-one was going to come forward and let her treat them and allow her to prove she was trustworthy but then much to her relief one of the teenage girls moved forwards, slowly and cautiously ready to bolt backwards at the slightest sign of aggression from Caelys but she just smiled and let the girl come to her. She sat in front of Caelys and nearly bolted when Caelys pulled out a dittany infused wet flannel to clean the girl's cuts but Caelys stopped until the girl was calm again and carried on.

The girl was soothed by the gentle and pleasant feeling of the dittany, she smiled at Caelys who smiled back now able to look the girl right in the eye. But when their faces met properly, Caelys felt herself gasp and time seemed to stop as she came face to face with a girl that was nearly an exact duplicate of herself at that age. The girl likewise seemed shocked at how like her Caelys looked but as much as she wanted to question the girl about her origins, she reminded herself rather forcefully that she had a job to do and went on cleaning the girl's wounds before bandaging them. But she did ask one question that she hoped would answer the mystery of their similar features.

"Do you have a name?" Caelys asked and the girl was silent for a moment before she answered.

"Daena, my lady. Daena Baelerys."

Caelys at the mention of her own surname in connection to the girl stopped still and you could easily have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed that announcement.

* * *

 _ **The Next Day…**_

As Crixus handled the executions of all the slavers, red priests and others who threatened the safety of the people, Harry was watching the port where three hundred swan ships from the Summer Isles had just arrived. The harbour was so full that some ships had to drop anchor in the centre and send smaller boats to reach shore. Harry greeted the captains as they came ashore and briefed them on how many people that they would be carrying. It would be a stretch but with careful distribution they could now with their thousand ships carry all of the thirty five thousand people that would be coming with them to the Stepstones. Food supplies would be enough for the journey and rune stones to ensure that they were strong enough to make the journey. _The Silence_ however would have a special addition to its rune stone, this one would increase the size of one of its cargo bays to carry additional food supplies and building materials that would be needed when they arrived in the Stepstones, shrunk with magic to fit the maximum amount possible.

Once the crews were all aware of how many people they would be carrying and when loading would begin, Harry waited until nightfall and the executions were over before he went to the stone masons to collect the thousand stones he had ordered. He sighed in relief to see that they had been completed all the stones he ordered and put them in bags ready to be used. He waved his hand and shrunk them down so he could hold one of the formerly large sacks could be held in the palm of his hand. He picked them all up and put them inside a satchel he had acquired carefully before apparating under the platform in the main square and collected the now fully charged chalice and erased the runic array.

Holding the cursed object in his hand Harry frowned, feeling all the life energy it had collected from the people executed. It disturbed him the sheer feeling of power it held, like a lightning bolt frozen before it could strike but he had work to do he thought to himself and apparated back to the harbour and hid inside one of the warehouses before going to work.

Setting the chalice on the ground, he picked out one of the shrunken bags of stone and lowered it into the chalice. It glowed a magnificent golden light for a minute as the power the chalice held charged the rune stones held in the bag making Harry smile briefly as he pulled out the now charged rune stone bag and retrieved another from his satchel and then repeated the process, glad that this was working otherwise he would have to do each stone individually which could take weeks to do on his own. This way it would only take a couple of hours to do all one thousand stones and then the rest of the night to install one on each ship. Easily concealable no one would even know they were there he thought with a smile and it would enable his ships to make the journey. Bloodstone was where they would land, the anchorage was a natural one like Volantis and would be a good base from which to launch their island hoping campaign to take over the others but Harry thought sternly to himself that was getting to far ahead right now, first they had to escape Volantis and get to the Stepstones.

 **-x-**

 _ **Hours Later…**_

Harry sighed in exhaustion when he finally installed the second to last of the hidden rune stones on the ships in the harbour. The sun was now rising in the morning sky and while Harry dearly wanted a rest there was still things to do. So he pulled the time turner from around his neck and turned it several times, around him time moved backwards but to keep himself from getting sick Harry focused on his dragon ring and the time turner itself to keep himself from getting disorientated. Looking around once time had stopped moving back and it was now the middle of the night again, so with another exhausted sign and wondering why he had to do this by himself for a moment before getting on with his work Harry apparated to the warehouse which contained the food supplies set aside for the fleet once they landed in the Stepstones, enough for two months without resupply. It was already prepared for transport and ready for collection as he had ordered, he raised his arm and the dragon ring on his finger and began to shrink the barrels and piles down and storing them in boxes that he moved to the _Silence's_ cargo hold. He installed the last rune stone while he was there after carving another rune into it and watched as the cargo hold tripled in size after he gave it a slight boost with the last of the energy from the chalice.

Harry now dearly wishing for his bed got to his feet regardless and apparated to the next warehouse to collect the next consignment of food supplies, he nearly groaned when he realised that counting the building supplies and equipment in the other warehouses as well he was looking at least twenty more warehouses to clear. This was going to be a long day he thought with resignation and went back to work. It was his plan after all he thought hating himself for coming up with such an idea until hours later he finally managed to fall into bed after working none stop for the equivalent of two days, but finally he thought as sleep took him the last piece was in place. One day of rest and then it was time to see if he was right and if his plan would plan.

* * *

When the day finally came, the morning was one that the freed slaves and Harry's men and sellswords met with great anticipation and anxiety. The sun rose over the horizon and Harry watched it out of the window, he was feeling more nervous than he had in years. The fate of a few hundred thousand people hung in the balance those that were willing to leave the city, their lives dependant on his plan going off without a hitch and it worried him more than he would ever admit to anyone that he was afraid he might have missed something that his dreams had been filled with images of everything that could go wrong.

He felt a soft hand on his shoulder and turned his head slightly to see Rhaenys had woken and with a sheet wrapped around her curvaceous body had walked up to him with a look of concern on her face. Her three ladies were still sleeping in the bed he had shared with them, they seemed content to share him for now as one of the very few men that had peaked all of their interest and they had been most energetic last night due he suspected to their own anxiety about what was going to happen.

"Worried?" She asked him, her own voice was like a cool refreshing breeze. He took her hand and kissed it before nodding. She smiled and held her hand in his tightly.

"You have covered every angle you can, planned steps ahead and eliminated anyone in the city that could interfere. It will work." Rhaenys said with certainty, her belief in him brought a lump to Harry's throat and he pressed her wrist to his lips.

"Thank you." He said in a quiet voice to her, not able to speak louder at that moment as he tried to soothe his worries. Rhaenys seeing her approach was not entirely successful decided to try and distract him with a question she had.

"Why the Stepstones? Why not land in Westeros directly or somewhere in Essos? Wouldn't that be easier than conquering islands filled with pirates?" Rhaenys' question did work to some extent and Harry was able to distract himself a little by answering.

"The Stepstones might be claimed by many but are held by no-one, only the pirates live there and who would want to save them? Each den is a law onto themselves and the chances of co-ordination are very remote so our people should have no issue securing them one by one and settling our people instead. Then if we bend the knee to the Iron Throne then by law we are entitled to their protection and Robert Baratheon would love nothing more than another fight." Harry told her and although she nodded in agreement of his logic she was unsettled. Harry understood why given bending the knee to Robert Baratheon would mean accepting the man who had actually rewarded Tywin Lannister for murdering her mother and brother as her king. He did not like it either and from all accounts the man was a complete waste of space but in this instance, he would be useful to them.

"And besides." He said continuing his explanation. "Given how many slavers there are in Essos settling anywhere is going to be a difficult issue and a large group of 'foreigners' settling in Westeros all at once would rally the bigots in the local population. In the Stepstones we won't have that problem since we will be eliminating the pirates and turning their dens into our new settlements." Harry finished before putting his arms around her and she leaned into his embrace. The added benefit of their placement that he had not gotten in to was that if they did find some way to prove Rhaenys' identity to the Martells then they would have Dornish support to back them up.

 **-x-**

What could be carried was being packed and loaded onto carts or held by people as the freed slaves and sellswords moved their supplies and belongings to the carts they had to hand and then to the western side of the city. The Golden Company brought up the rear now with three times the elephants that they had before given they had taken fresh ones from the city as well as more men who had wanted to join them.

Some of freed slaves and others in their ranks on the other hand moved towards the harbour, marching up gangplanks or taking small boats out to board larger ships. Many farewells were said as people took different paths, staying to fight against the slavers or seeking a more peaceful existence elsewhere across the sea. None of them thought they would see each other again so many tears and emotional words were said.

At the entrance to the harbour with Harry and his own inner circle it was no different, Harry gave manly hugs to Balaq and a friendly hand clasp with Daario and a more formal handshake with the Tattered Prince. Kanoro meanwhile was making his farewells with his family to Crixus, Barca, Sula and Gannicus. Caelys was saying a tearful goodbye to Naevia and Saxa while Noelle stood with her newly discovered aunt Daena.

As the sellsword captains left to join their men, Harry turned to face Crixus and the two men stared at each other with stern faces for a while before Crixus extended his hand to Harry, with a slight smile he clasped it and they shook in a firm handshake giving each other a nod before turning to go their own way. Harry accompanied by Kanoro, Caelys, Jothos and their families as well as Rhaenys and her ladies and Brynden and the smiths from Qohor made their way to the dock where the _Silence_ was waiting for them now restored to its original black and gold appearance. They all walked up the gangplank and as it was withdrawn, everyone turned to look one last time at Volantis while the sea gate was opened.

 **-x-**

 _ **The Eastern Gate…**_

Outside the City, the silk dressed slave master from Meereen stood with complete confidence as he looked up at the walls, knowing the Windblown sellsword company was going to ensure their unopposed entrance into the city. The Unsullied and quickly recruited slave soldiers behind him were quiet as they stood behind him but as time wore on, the slave master looked confused at the doors which were not opening as they should be. A furious expression crossed his face as he wondered if Parquello was going to keep them out while he angled for a greater prize, already in his head devising ways to make the jumped up merchant remember just who he was talking too.

As the slave master considered the different methods of torture he would inflict on their supposed ally in the city, Khal Jommo sat with his khalasar looking at the city in the distance and the army that was simply standing outside the gate as if it would open for them at any moment. He sneered at the arrogance of richly dressed fool before he raised his curved sword above his head to order his men to charge.

The slave army turned to see the large Dothraki horde coming straight at them, many of the conscripted slave soldiers were ready to bolt immediately and some did but the Unsullied without any fear at all dug their spears into to the ground at a forty five degree angle to stop the Dothraki charge and drew their swords for when the battle got up close and personal.

The Dothraki did not stop their charge however even when they saw the spears, many of them just kept on going their horses being impaled and sending them flying, some dismounted and met the Unsullied head on as the two forces clashed outside the eastern gate.

They were completely obvious to the hundreds of thousands of people sneaking out of the western gates or the fleet of one thousand ships leaving the harbour. When one force eventually proved victorious they would find a largely empty and gutted city with little to justify the effort it took to capture it. Only two hundred thousand stayed within the city walls, mostly those who worshiped the Red God or simply could not bear to leave the city that had been their home however they would soon regret it as chains and death was forced upon.

 **-x-**

On the _Silence_ , Harry stood with Kanoro at the ship's wheel as their ship led the enormous formation. At their side was Kanoro's family, Caelys with her daughter and sister, Rhaenys and her ladies, Brynden and his family and finally Jothos Velaryon and his family. A smile graced each of their faces as they left the city of Volantis far behind, ready to take on the challenge of establishing a new home somewhere else, one that would truly be theirs.

But first they would have to take it.

* * *

 _Hope you enjoyed the chapter, please review and let me know your thoughts._

 _Quick question: Should Harry have a dragon?_


	12. Chapter 12 A Kingdom of Your Own

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _Hope everyone is still here, I hope this chapter is worth it after I had to make some major revisions. Sorry for the wait._

 _To place it timeline wise it is now 294 AC, about four years before the start of the series. So Harry is now seventeen._

 _I should probably make it clear that Harry's mother in this world at this point is dead from a fever._

 **Chapter 12 – A Kingdom of Your Own**

 _ **The Summer Sea, two weeks later…**_

The vast armada made its way through calm seas towards the Stepstones, a thousand ships of varying size and function but all carrying as many people as they could fit aboard. Rune stones hidden on each ship made them strong enough to weather the journey and stay upright given how heavily loaded they all were.

At the head of the formation was the _Silence_ , a large but fast warship formally belonging to Euron Greyjoy but now it was Harry Tyrell that stood at its helm making a mental note to change the kraken style wheel for something less 'Greyjoy' the next chance he got. The sun was high in the sky and it was clear of clouds as a strong wind blew them towards their destination. The general mood in the fleet was optimistic after their escape from Volantis and rather gentle voyage so far. A few storms but nothing the ships and runes had been unable to handle. Harry took a deep breath of sea air and smiled, relishing the feeling of the wind against his face. At his side Rhaenys and Kanoro smiled enjoying the day as much as he was, on the deck behind them Alys, Myria and Zara played with Maekor and Noelle while Calla and Caelys chatted quietly amongst themselves and in the cabin Jothos was spending time with his family, it was a warm and friendly atmosphere that filled everyone with a sense of hope that they were heading for somewhere good to start new lives. But Harry thought his smile dimming slightly there was a lot to do when they got there.

As if sensing his thoughts Orion flew down from the ship's rigging which he had made his perch while they sailed and landed on his shoulder. Harry's smile returned as he stroked the blood hawk's plumage, the bird butting his head against Harry's in gratitude. Rhaenys and Kanoro themselves grinned at the sight before Kanoro asked a question that had been on his mind.

"When we get to the Stepstones do we have a plan to conquer them? Or are we simply invading?"

Harry nodded before he answered.

"I have a plan, most pirate dens are designed to resist attacks from the sea, not over land so I intend to land our forces on the other side of the island and travel over land. Then do the same on each of the other islands one by one. Pirates rarely co-operate or fight well against professional soldiers so hopefully we can overwhelm their dens quickly. Preventing their escape during our attack should be relatively easy if our warships sail around and blockade the den from the sea, sealing them in." Harry said knowing it was a better approach than trying to land against opposition in the dens themselves. If they came over land then it would give them the element of surprise, especially as most pirate dens were geared toward attack from the sea rather than land as he had said. The other two nodding seeing the simple approach as the best way to do it with their limited resources.

 **-x-**

Later that day Caelys watched as Noelle showed her aunt Daena her drawing of the three of them as a family, her young daughter never failed to find the bright side of any situation. It brought a wide smile to Caelys' face, perhaps the one ray of sunshine in a very dark world and although she knew the world was not so kind that she could stay that way forever she hoped that she never lost that joyousness.

Daena did not seem sure of what to do when confronted with such a happy and energetic girl, so she sat and just let Noelle talk excitedly about how thrilled she was to have an aunt and how much she loved the sea and any other topic that came into her head. When she finally stopped to ask Daena a question, it took the teenager a moment to catch up with what the little girl had said.

"What do you want to be when grow up?" Noelle repeated with a giggle, knowing her aunt had not been following the rather one sided conversation. Daena did not know what to say at first, the first words that came to her tongue was that she was grown up but it sounded rather childish so she stayed silent for a moment until she was able to say something more intelligent.

"I want to train as a warrior." Daena said seeing the worried look in her older sister's eyes although it was strange to think of her as such. Their parents had died in poverty and misery, selling them both into slavery so they could survive but she had been on her own too long to let Caelys decide things for her. They were near complete strangers but both had been brutalised by the ones they had been forced to call master.

She would never be a victim again she thought to herself quietly as Noelle showed her another picture, doing her best to smile and enjoy her niece's company.

 **-x-**

Brynden was staring at the bars of Valyrian steel Harry had acquired in Valyria in stunned disbelief, never having seen so much of the rarest metal in the world. Harry looked on and asked.

"Well how many weapons can you make with all that?" He was eager to find out as given the value of such weapons, he could use this as an asset towards getting allies in the future. Brynden looked again before telling him.

"Each bar could make a single great sword or two longswords, maybe a dozen daggers. Ten bars so you do the math, this is worth a hundred times its weight in gold." Brynden said eager to make some of this rather boring looking bars into beautiful swords, smithing was as much an art form as a trade in his mind. He always tried to make his works as eye catching as possible while remaining functional. Harry now smiled himself before telling Brynden something that made the master smith look up in shock.

"When I acquired the bars I also learned how the metal is made, so there may well be more reworking of Valyrian steel in future. I hope that will not be a problem?" Harry asked, secretly enjoying the surprise he had given his blacksmith.

* * *

 _ **Bloodstone…**_

Under the cover of darkness with the moon providing the only illumination, in small boats and ships that had the right draft six thousand of their fighters came ashore, while the rest stayed with the ships to keep them secure. They pulled their boats securely onto land so they could retrieve them later before disembarking and securing the landing sight. Already dressed in their armour and weapons they looked around to adjust to the surrounding terrain, Harry used Orion's eyes as his bloodhawk flew overhead to confirm all their warriors had made it ashore before taking a flaming torch and waving it towards the ships in the distance, telling them the landing was completed successfully. On the deck of the _Silence_ , Rhaenys repeated the signal so they could continue with the plan. The ships would stay anchored here for the next two days while they traversed the island before sailing to the pirate den and blockading it, leaving the pirates trapped while they attacked from land.

Harry and Kanoro got together and pulled out a map drawn from aerial observations curtesy of Orion, the mountains in the centre of the island were too difficult to move across without training or proper equipment so they would have to move around the coast. Given the size of the island it would take a couple of days but it was far easier terrain to navigate. Rather than move in the dark though they set up camp and waited till first light.

 **-x-**

 _ **Two Days Later, early evening…**_

The sun was blazing against the horizon, causing a spectacular red and orange sky not that the pirates were bothering to marvel at the sunset. Being sailors they saw it all the time and it was nothing new to them.

They were at anchor, celebrating looted wealth or gains from their days at sea. None of them had any reason to fear, none of the Free Cities or Kingdoms of Westeros ever came here and no-one else would bother them.

Total freedom meant no one bothered with the responsibility of keeping up the watch, it was not necessary as no one but the pirates themselves came here. Nor did they maintain a land based patrol, after all who would want to march overland?

One drunk pirate stumbled out of one of several taverns, his vision blurry and singing at the top of his voice in inebriated song. He saw the mass of warriors coming into the town but to his unsteady gaze they looked more like some kind of shadow, he stopped singing and walked closer trying to get a good look at what they were. A distorted and large figure came closer and the pirate blinked furiously as he tried to focus his eyes but the only thing he could do was gasp as cold steel was thrust through his belly.

 **-x-**

The moment the first drunken pirate fell, things moved very quickly Harry grabbed a horn on his belt and blew hard to signal the order to attack. All of his warriors, men and women alike screamed their battle cries as all attempts to be stealthy were abandoned shocking the pirates that were still sober enough to react.

Harry and Kanoro led the charge, swords in hand they began to cut down any pirates that were in their way. Rough falchions swung towards Harry only for him to block the strong but unskilled strikes with ease, deflecting them away from himself before thrusting _Orphanmaker_ into his belly and then beheading another going on to press his attack against the rest of the mob.

Kanoro nearby was blocking the drunken pirates with ridiculous ease and striking men down left, right and centre. Pirates while good at raiding poorly armed sailors and small folk on the coast in hit and run attacks they were no match for experienced fighters in proper armour, a few when they saw how quickly Harry's warriors were gaining ground going from building to building and killing whoever they found inside fled towards their ships in the harbour only to see in horror the entrance was blockaded and escape was impossible.

Harry forced his way into a tavern by kicking the door right off the hinge and stormed inside, seeing a half dozen armed pirates and serving maids, one of which threw a glass bottle straight at his head while screaming 'Fuck Off!' Turning his head quickly, it shattered against his helm and Harry stormed forward, both _Blackfyre_ and _Orphanmaker_ in hand as he started mercilessly cutting down the people in the bar, the confined environment made the fight very brutal, Harry felt more than one hard impact on his armour as either serving girls or pirates managed to get a hit in but their attempts were too clumsy and could not find a gap in his armour although he would have some bruises.

He finished them off with stabs and slashes, he killed the pirates first, hoping the women would surrender once the pirates were dead but they kept hitting him with any implement that they could get. They were he realised with surprise not scared, in fact they were angry that he had killed their customers greed stoking the anger in the hopes they could take his swords and sell them. When one of them reached for one of the discarded swords Harry knew he had to act.

With regret he cut them down, quickly and as painlessly as he could before checking the rest of the building and then moving on to the next.

* * *

 _ **The Following Morning…**_

The sun was a welcome sight to the men and women of Harry's fleet as it rose the next morning, the fighting had gone on all night but now the den was in their hands. Two hundred prisoners were marched to the incomplete castle that the den was clustered around, built by Daemon Targaryen during his brief rule here. While some parts had never been finished and others decayed the dudgeons were still in good enough condition to hold the pirates who had surrendered until they knew just what to do with them.

A few hostages and slaves had been found amongst the den, mostly taken during raids and thought important or pretty enough to be spared for a while, by large women who were being seen to by Caelys and her new band of healers.

People started coming ashore from the fleet that was now moored here, the bay was so crammed with ships that some men joked you could walk across it and never touch the water. Harry was very busy moving the food stores and construction materials had taken from Volantis into the store rooms of the castle which he tentatively called Bloodstone after the island, if anyone asked where they had come from he could say that they were pirate loot. He noticed as he looked up at the castle that there were strong walls of around fifty feet in height and twenty feet thick, they at least where complete and lined with guard towers Harry thought with relief not wanting to spend the resources needed to build them.

Inside was a large keep with space around it for a training yard and all of the other things you would expect in a castle of this size. Some roofs were missing or had collapsed due to lack of maintenance, windows missing glasses and a few other things needed completing but it would be very easy to finish the castle.

The rest of the den however Harry thought with annoyance would take longer before it could be converted into a proper town, many of the houses if you could call them that were badly put together wooden dwellings in a state of collapse. Tearing them down and replacing them with stone structures would take time and many of the other pirate dens would no doubt be in a similar condition.

Glad that many stonemasons had joined them as well as other former slaves with skills, Harry was about to go and see the Swan Ships off now that they had dropped off their passengers and were keen to return home. But before he could he saw Rhaenys and her ladies storming towards him looking like demons with their faces contorted with rage, a worried Caelys followed them and Harry started to sweat, wanting to run away but was powerless to move. As soon as they reached him, all four ladies took it in turns to slap him hard, nearly knocking him to the ground but even with his stunned expression he heard what Rhaenys screamed at him as clear as day.

"WE'RE PREGNANT YOU FOOL!"

Caelys winched at the volume of the statement while Kanoro only made things worse by bursting out with laughter as did Calla nearby joined in her husband's mirth. Jothos and family looked on in horror given who Rhaenys was and the fact they cared for her as one of their own. Harry was too scared to say anything as Rhaenys and her ladies dragged him away, presumably to scream at him some more.

When they found a place they thought suitable Rhaenys, Alys, Myria and Zara stopped and slapped him again each, screaming obscenities at him so quickly it was impossible to keep up with who was saying what. Harry meanwhile was still shocked at the fact that he was going to be a father four times at once, admittedly he had been drunk and had not thought of the possibility of pregnancy but to get all four ladies with child at the same time was too say the least a long shot. While the women screamed on at him, he heard one phrase that stuck with him.

"YOU THINK YOU'RE GARTH THE GREENHAND! WHO COULD MAKE ALL WOMEN RIPE WITH TWINS AND TRIPLETS DO YOU?!" One of them screamed but in the confusion he could not tell who had yelled it. Desperately he turned the Resurrection Stone over in his hand three times and then a figure simmered into existence that was thankfully enough to stop the four women from giving him any further abuse…for now Harry shuddered.

The figure that had appeared was tall, standing at seven foot and heavily muscled. He wore a strange crown of flowers on his head and had glorious golden brown hair, a neat beard and emerald green eyes not that different from Harry's own. His smile was wide and those emerald eyes shined with mirth as he chuckled.

"The apple does not fall far from the tree as my favourite daughter Rowan used to say, got yourself in a right pickle here lad." Garth said with humour, seeing the whole thing as one big joke and it put all five of his living witnesses into shocked silence, all aware they were in the presence of a legendary figure and the ancestor to Harry's house along with many others. Harry was about to ask his question but Garth gave a full bellied laugh and as if knowing what he was going to say told him with a smirk.

"You my boy are the first descendant of mine to have my magic…ever. All my children had a basic understanding of it and my grandson Brandon knew runes like no other, he made the most enduring structures in the world with them but only you have had my powers and any woman you lay with will get pregnant unless they take a potion to stop it. Do not worry all of your previous partners were on such potions so there are no other spawn of yours out there. You have made me proud with all you have done so far as will the children no doubt when they inherit your power and lead the Reach back to greatness." Garth told him, his smirk turning to a genuine smile before he simmered away.

There was silence in the room as they all absorbed Garth's words, Harry in particular as he took in the new information. Garth had been magical and he was the first since him to have powers but the fact that he was going to be a father was the main thought in his mind. Children…his own blood would soon be born and would depend on him. For a man that was new to responsibility that was enough to shock him to his core and make him freeze but from that feeling a strong realisation came.

That he would ensure their wellbeing and happiness and he would never allow his children to come to harm.

They would be protected he swore to himself, his fingers pressing hard into the skin of his palms as he stood taller. Resolve straightening his back and he looked at all four ladies with a strong gaze and told them.

"All children of mine will be well cared for and taught to stand for themselves in times of trouble, I will care for them all regardless of whether or not they have my name and favour none over another. If they have my powers I will teach them to use their magic and even if they are not blessed with powers they will learn everything I can teach them. And you their mothers will never be cast aside by me for any reason, I cherish what you are giving me and never will words be enough to convey how much I would thank you for them." Harry said, his words coming straight from the heart as he became calm with determination.

All four women looked at him in surprise, their anger at becoming pregnant accidentally eased somewhat by his declaration and the knowledge he would protect and provide for his children regardless of which mother that they came from.

 **-x-**

The work to complete/repair Bloodstone castle was underway, other stone masons started making better and more long lasting homes and other buildings for the town and port. Farmers outside the city meanwhile were planting their own future crops with fields of olives, oranges and grapes amongst other things. Their supplies would be enough till they were ready to cultivate but while Harry and the rest of the warriors worked for a week to get the town started, they would soon be heading off to conquer the rest of the islands.

That made Harry wonder how they were going to communicate between islands once they were all settled, if they wanted to stay strong here that would be essential. Ravens were the obvious answer but he had no maester to care and train the birds, enchanting owls might work but that would lead to questions about how he did it so ravens Harry thought was safer which led to the next problem finding a maester he could trust. Many were snivelling old men that poison him if he showed even a modicum of what he was capable of and he was still planning on hatching dragons so getting someone who could keep his mouth shut and not turn on him would be key and as he thought back to his times at the Citadel as a boy, he remembered his friend Alwyn who had then been an acolyte but a rebellious one and who had many strong ideas of his own even delving into the 'higher mysteries' wherever he could.

So Harry sent a message inviting him to come to Bloodstone and see some of the lore he had collected on his travels. It would give him a chance to see if his old friend was still as trustworthy as he had been years ago but before then he had eleven other islands to conquer Harry thought with grim determination.

* * *

 _ **Three Weeks Later…**_

Harry and his men were landing on the final island of the chain that they had yet to conquer, Whitebone Island. The Island hopping campaign had been by large a success, reefs around some islands had made landing difficult but with the eyes of Orion they had managed it. One by one the pirate dens had fallen and the islands were settled by Harry's own people. Work on building the new towns and villages was already underway with Jothos and Rhaenys running Bloodstone while he was away and his warriors were eager to finish the campaign so they could get back to their families and the matter of making their own new homes. Kanoro too wanted to get back to Bloodstone to be with his wife and son and Harry himself was eager to return there but he sighed as they secured the boats and got ready to travel to the last pirate den.

This island had been harder to land on than the others, white reefs surrounded nearly the entire island and two boats had been holed by them as they came in. Fortunately they had been able to rescue the stranded men and continue on to land but it delayed them by nearly an hour and their troubles were not yet over Harry realised as he looked down at the island by warging with Orion who was flying overhead.

The terrain of the island was very rocky and difficult to traverse, the only flat parts were around the pirate den itself. As it was one of the smaller islands and the only entry point through the reefs was at the cove where the pirate den was located it made the island very defensible. Crossing the terrain was going to be hard on the men and take nearly a day. Worst there was an added complication…the worst of the pirates in the island chain could be found here and they would not give up without a vicious fight.

Well best get started Harry thought as he told his men to prepare to move out.

 **-x-**

Ten broken legs, forty broken arms, many sprains and dozens of other injuries all before they got the edge of the pirate den, Harry thought with anger. Even being as careful as they could the journey had proved too much for some of their men, setting the broken bones and tending to injuries as best they could (with him providing some healing magic as quietly as he could to prevent permanent maiming) it had made the journey twice as long and much more difficult and now they would have to strike during the day rather than night like they had with all the others, so this time the pirates would be more alert. But finally they had made it Harry thought with relief as he looked down at the town below.

It was just like the other wooden shack dens he had seen throughout the islands with a few primitive stone buildings here and there, ships moored in the makeshift harbour. Harry wished they had not lost so much time getting here last night, attacking by day was not part of his plan. Night usually meant the pirates were drinking and their ability to resist was far lower not to mention they had the cover of night for their attack, now they would be seen further away than he had planned and the pirates were in better condition to resist.

Nevertheless they readied their weapons and armour, not willing to wait until nightfall in case they were spotted before then and advanced on the den as quickly as they could. A few shouts of alarm sounded followed by a loud bell to signal an attack. Pirates rushed out of the buildings with weapons drawn and met them with jeers and war cries engineered from years of raiding that would normally scare the pants off regular sailors but by now Harry's warriors were battle hardened and unaffected as they engaged the poorly armed and unprotected pirates who rarely wore armour.

Harry with both his swords in hand led the charge, he confronted first by a man that Harry would have sworn was related to the Lannisters in some way judging by his golden hair and green eyes but while finely dressed it was clear he was a pirate who took clothes from those he robbed, shown by how missed matched they were. The man fought with a Morningstar, swinging it hard and fast against Harry but he side stepped each blow and with _Orphanmaker_ jammed into the prongs on the balled end forced the Morningstar into the ground and before the pirate could react, Harry slashed across his throat with _Blackfyre_ in a reverse grip. Blood poured from the gash in his throat and a kick to the stomach sent him flying so Harry with his sword still dripping with blood went to the next closest pirate who was also wielding a Morningstar and cut him down with a well-timed thrust of his swords in the gut. Kanoro was finishing off another pirate who despite weighing at least two hundred and fifty pounds (most of it fat Harry thought with derision) was trying to use Braavosi water dancing against the veteran warrior but Kanoro cut him down with ease regardless.

Harry was about to go back to killing pirates when he heard a disturbingly familiar laugh, turning to look he saw the man that had rung to bell which alerted the pirates to their presence.

Hanging from the rope as he swung down from the tower it was mounted on was a sight Harry had hoped to never see again…Euron Greyjoy. The man was laughing like a maniac as he swung with rope in one hand and his axe in the other, slamming the axe into the chest of one of Harry's warriors. His nervousness given how badly he had fared against the infamous pirate/raider the last time was ruthlessly suppressed as Harry made his way towards him. Euron's one remaining eye quickly caught sight of him too and stared for a moment before his face became contorted with rage and likewise he started to make his way towards Harry.

They finally met on the docks where the pirate ships were moored although many were struggling to get ready to sail against the blockade Harry's ships had put in place. Euron with snarling rage on his directed at the man that had stolen his ship, his treasure and his eye all in the same moment, slashed hard at Harry with his axe.

Harry remained calm and avoided the strike before he counter attacked with both his swords, forcing Euron block with his axe's ironwood staff before falling back a step. There was a clang in the air as their steel met again, followed by another and then another as Harry and Euron met each other blow for blow. Euron wore only leather armour and was enjoying the speed it granted him at the cost of protection but the many small plates that made up Harry's armour and the Basilisk leather underneath rather than chainmail meant he could keep up with the older man and still have better protection. Harry was light on his feet, moving to avoid certain strikes while meeting others head on to keep his enemy off-guard and his sequences were unpredictable which unfortunately was also true of his opponent who likewise changed tactics mid fight to confuse Harry although this was a result of madness and anger rather than conscious thought.

Losing an eye Harry discovered to his own surprise did not diminish Euron as a fighter, his visual acuity had suffered but a skilled and blazing array of focused fury was enough to keep nearly any fighter off-guard until Euron could find an opening and butcher whoever he happened to be fighting. If Harry had not taken him seriously before the fight, it would have cost him his life.

But Harry did take Euron seriously and the advantage was firmly his, better armour, two weapons in his hands and unlike the last time they had fought Harry was rested and had energy spare not to mention more experience since they had last met. He moved decisively, slowly starting to gain the upper hand and forcing Euron onto the back foot as the fight progressed.

This troubled Euron greatly, the greenlander whelp had not been this good last time and he was started to feel his own defence weakening under this skilled assault which only infuriated him more and with a sinister smile decided to use his greatest weapon, it had come to him while he was drifting in the ocean after their last encounter and it was only fitting that it aid him now.

Harry noticed the smile and was immediately alarmed but he had no time to react and much to his shock he saw a massive wave of water rise from the dock and slam right into him, Harry was unable to do anything as the water flung him back several feet into a nearby wall. The pain was more than Harry had felt in a long time and he was sure to have bruises after but his immediate concern was that Euron while laughing like a lunatic kept pouring the water onto him, Harry struggled to move his arms and legs to get away but the pressure of the water kept him right where he was. Winded by the impact of being forced back Harry had little breath and already black spots were appearing in his limited vision, he realised he was in genuine danger of drowning on dryland.

His body pinned by the force of the water, he struggled to move and he could feel his strength waning as his supply of air diminished, with effort he managed to get dragon ring pointed at his face and with as much concentration as he could manage cast the bubblehead charm.

The relief of air was enough to make him light headed but grateful, now he could breathe again Harry managed to see what Euron was doing and the water that was still being forced against him was being directed by what looked like a bracer on Euron's wrist. It was not made of metal, wood or cloth but seemed to be constructed out of an oily black stone which Harry had seen in Asshai, Sothoryos ruined cities and on Battle Island where Hightower was located. No one knew just what the stone was or where it came from but this was of little use to Harry as he now had to figure a way out of his situation.

Euron sure the bastard greenlander must be dead by now let the water fall before making his way quickly to one of the largest pirate ships which was preparing to sail. The men on-board made no move to stop him as he climbed onto the bow and focused his attention on the blockade at the bay's mouth. He summoned up all the energy he could and willed the water in the bay to move as his directed.

A massive wave suddenly appeared at his will and surged towards the ships guarding the entrance to the bay. The sailors aboard were terrified at its appearance and had no time to react as it smashed into their ships, sending them crashing into each other or drifting off, creating a breach in their line that all of the pirate ships quickly took advantage of and sailed through before Harry's ships could reorganise to stop them.

Euron turned once they were free and clear to see all of the pirates kneeling to him, the ship's captain Seria the Red being held by her own men and glaring up at him but her eyes showed the fear she trying so hard to hide. Euron cast a lecherous eye over her, although in her late thirties now and her red hair showing signs of greying she was a good looking woman. She would he decided be a good enough salt wife once he had broken her and cut her tongue.

Nearby he could see the corsair Morgan Twelvetoes who bowed to him with a vicious smile, a man after my own heart Euron thought gleefully, a ruthless raider from the Summer Isles that did not care at all for who stood in the way of whatever he wanted. Skilled at commanding ships and an expert fighter with his Valyrian steel spear _Sky Spike_ he would be an excellent right hand man Euron thought. He let out a triumphant roar as his pride soared, he had killed the prick that took his eye and now commanded a fleet of twelve ships. Nowhere near as good as the _Silence_ would have been but it was a start he thought to rebuild his fortune as they plundered the world's oceans.

It was going to be a lot of fun Euron thought with glee.

* * *

Back on Whitebone Island, Harry was casting drying charms on his armour while he wondered what in the hell had just happened. When the Hell he thought with anger and some fear did Euron get control of water? He had no magic of his own and yet he could command water like the people of the Chroyane with that gauntlet, it was enough to almost make him go in pursuit but with his own fleet in chaos and Euron and the pirates out of sight there was nothing he could do. He would have to keep his ear to the ground and hope for some lead on where the hell Euron had gone and then take care of him in any way he could. The last thing the world needed was a notorious pirate and raider like Euron Greyjoy with the ability to control water.

He walked back to his men who were now dealing with any prisoners that they had taken, supervised by Kanoro who looked tired and worried at what had happened but glad that the island was secure.

"What do we do with these pirates?" Kanoro said his distaste clear in his voice and his looked over the few dozen men that had surrendered rather than fight. Harry looked at them before saying coldly.

"Join the Nights Watch or die. It is that simple." Harry spoke loud enough for the prisoners to hear and some looked panic stricken at the thought of death and started crying out for the Wall while others stayed silent preferring execution rather than be bound to the Wall forever. All prisoners would be given this choice, any female prisoners on the other hand would be sent to the Silent Sisters if they did not choose execution. Harsh but Harry knew better than to try and integrate such people into his rule, they would be like poison undermining the new regime and possibly spying for their enemies.

Then he thought there was the matter of sorting out all the assets they had acquired during the campaign. Aside from the islands themselves Harry's warriors had acquired nearly a hundred and twenty ships formerly owned by pirates, many were converted merchant ships and would be more useful to them as such but forty or so were purpose made warships and once he had men to sail them would be very useful to his fleet. But they had also found quite a bit of gold and treasure that Harry had shared out amongst his warriors for their good work and the foodstuffs they had confiscated would be a good addition to their existing stocks while the new towns and villages were established and there was enough seized weapons to equip a few thousand more men once they had been reworked by his smiths.

For now though he sighed allowing himself to forget about his worries concerning Euron and just about everything else, he would be glad to just get back to Bloodstone and see his girls. He had definitely had enough of fighting for a while.

* * *

 _ **One Month Later…**_

Harry sat in his newly furnished solar on Bloodstone as his hawk slept on his perch and Balerion the cat slept in his basket, looking out the window as he prepared for perhaps the most important day of his life. His wall had shelves for books that he filled with books and scrolls that could be publically displayed while some banners and weapons taken as trophies hung on the walls as some did on the walls of the castle. Furniture he had acquired along the course of his journey meant they had easily furnished the castle which saved some time, time Harry had spent underneath the castle.

A series of tunnels and caverns which might have been created by the legendary Children of the Forest had been discovered under the castle, Harry had reinforced and secured them with his magic, layering protection after protection and increasingly strong security on them before storing his more sensitive and secret items as well as a large portion of his personal fortune inside. Only he could access it.

Iron and coal mines had been discovered in the small mountains of the islands to feed their forges and some ex-Targaryen navy officers known to Jothos had come to the island to train up new men to run their fleet.

Caelys had set up her own healing centre on the island and Harry had given her land that she and those she recruited could use to grow herbs and other ingredients for potions that he had told her about, aside from that he would support her centre to maintain public health on the island. A good thing considering many of their people had no idea of hygiene or medicine and they had just taken in five thousand Myrish slaves who had just escaped, given most of his people had been either extremely poor folk or slaves themselves and the Myrish escapees spoke Valyrian they had been able to integrate them into the population. The seven hundred odd prisoners that they had taken had already been shipped off to either the Wall or the Silent Sisters, a personal letter of thanks had much to Harry's surprise arrived not long after from the Lord Commander himself Jeor Mormont for the new recruits making Harry wonder how dire things must be at the Wall if they needed this many criminals.

The towns and villages were now finally ready and the harbours repaired at last so things were settling down although there had been a few unexpected discoveries, clearly missed by the pirates who had never taken the time or had the interest to explore the island Harry thought with an ironic grin. Apart from the caverns and tunnels under Bloodstone there was also a large Weirwood tree some distance from the town. Mussels could be found in the pools on the mountains which produced pearls which he was keeping to himself, Rhaenys, Jothos and Kanoro as an emergency source of wealth if it was ever needed and to keep the creatures who made the pearls protected from treasure hunters.

But today Harry thought as he put on his best clothes he had other things to think about, once his appearance was acceptable he left the room and made his way down the winding staircases where Kanoro, Brynden and some of his men were waiting. They smiled mischievously at him as they witnessed his nerves grow as they got on their horses and rode towards the Weirwood, Harry looked up from Storm's back and saw Orion flying overhead and he could feel amusement directed solely at him coming from the bird too, enough to make Harry grit his teeth. It was bad enough that his men were sniggering behind his back but now his bird was too.

Arriving at the Weirwood tree which looked out across the island with stern expression carved into its bark. A number of people including Caelys already stood in place, all smiling and dressed in their best. Harry walked up to the base of the tree where Caelys smiled, Noelle and Daena stood with Kanoro's wife Calla and Maekor. He honestly was buzzing with nervousness and had to fight himself from fidgeting as he waited, Caelys caught his eye and gave him an encouraging smile which made him feel well enough to smile back but his breath was taken away when he saw her approach.

On the arm of Jothos and with her ladies and Jothos' family following closely behind was Rhaenys, her curvaceous body was hugged by the white silk dress she was wearing, her hair was arranged in elegant waves that fell around her shoulders with the slim golden band around her forehead. Her face was delicately painted to bring out her natural beauty in a subtle but stunning way. She was absolutely breath-taking Harry thought with dazed appreciation before he shook himself out of it when he saw that Rhaenys was smirking at him having noticed his 'appreciation' and instead took her hand once she reached him.

Caelys began the ceremony, as Jothos was acting as father of the bride and Kanoro his best man. They had repeated the vows as Caelys spoke them, having decided on an Old Gods wedding given it was legally acceptable in Westeros and neither he nor Rhaenys were particularly fond of the Seven.

 **-x-**

Rhaenys was despite her confident exterior shaking inside with nerves…her wedding day she could hardly believe it. Harry at her side as if sensing her fear tightened his grip on her hand, a gesture she was grateful for…this was not how she had dreamed of her big day.

She would be in Sunspear with the heat of the desert cooled slightly in the sept, her mother and brother smiling at her side as her uncle Oberyn walked her to the altar. She had not seen him since she was a very young child but his grin she remembered…that and his laugh as he played childish games with her. Doran her other uncle was watching from the side, healthy enough to stand while the septon read the words and tied the ribbon around her wrist and that of her new husband.

But those dreams had always ended when she woke and remembered her life such as it was, her mother & brother dead well before their time and neither of her uncles knew she was alive. On those mornings often she would spend time to herself with tears running down her face, holding on as best she could to the few memories she had of them to take even a shred of comfort in those dark moments. How she wished that they were with her now, it stabbed at her heart and caused her smile to dim. But the smiles of those around her, her surrogate family the Velaryons and her ladies who had been there with her through so many highs and lows brought a small amount of relief to her wounded spirit. The comfort of her new friends Kanoro, Calla, Caelys and Daena strengthened her further and Harry who stood at her side and held her hand firmly but not so tightly that it hurt.

Her lips began to curl upwards slightly again, a glimmer of happiness gaining strength inside.

 **-x-**

Harry unlike Rhaenys was not thinking of his family, not the one he had come from anyway. His only regrets in regards to them was that Margaery was not here. His sister who he had not seen since she was a little girl and he would he hoped have liked Rhaenys, the rest of his family would not that he knew he thought bitterly.

Without revealing her true identity and making a play for the Iron Throne they would look down on her as a foreign harlot who wanted to ingratiate herself with their wealth. Marrying her provided no advantage for their house so nothing would soften the blow, his grandmother would resent her for that alone and his father and brother would treat her with such disrespect and open hostility that he would banish them from his islands to protect his wife. Best marry her before she had a chance to meet them rather than they try and sabotage things, forcing them to accept it.

And there was not just Rhaenys to consider Harry thought with worry. He would have married each of her ladies under a different religion each if he had his way but they had convinced him otherwise, it would lessen his standing in Westeros where the Seven held sway to have so many wives. Their children by him could be legitimized and only Rhaenys was in genuine danger if discovered, his name would help hide her true heritage while the cover story of her being a Volantis noble was secure given there was no one of note left alive to contest her story. Not to mention however much Rhaenys hated her own claim to the Iron Throne it would be best if worst came to worst if her children were not born bastards.

Harry could not care less if his children were born within wedlock or not, he would love, teach and protect them all without exception but he knew how bastards were treated within Westeros. It was hard to stop his face from scowling in his anger at the thought of someone looking down on his children when they had no right. It infuriated him and right then and there he swore a vow to himself that he would raise all of his children the same and no one would ever threaten them while he was around.

With his vow made he turned back to the wedding to complete his vows and then he and Rhaenys turned to each other, both of them scared for a moment as they embarked on this journey as husband and wife together but they took the plunge as Harry took the orange Martell cloak that had been made for her and replacing it with a green cloak with his own red hawk, swords and rose emblem and they kissed for all they were worth as their audience cheered and clapped. Jothos had a tear in his eye as the girl he had raised took a husband and started a family of her own.

He knew how much she hated her father's family but he couldn't help but think Rhaella and even Aerys when he was younger would have had tears of their own as their grandchild married.

* * *

The next day Harry was woken from his sleep by Aeron Velaryon banging hard on the door, his shouts being muffled by the thick wood and Harry was slow to wake, he had really hoped for a couple of days peace so he and Rhaenys could get used to their new status but obviously something had come up. So he carefully untangled himself from the still sleeping Rhaenys and pulled on his robe.

"What is it?" Harry asked still blinking away the sleep from his eyes as he reached the door and pulled it open.

Aeron looked anxious as he reported speaking so fast the first time that Harry in his still half-asleep state could not keep up with so he held up a hand and said calmly.

"Slowly Aeron. Slowly."

Aeron stopped at Harry's command and took a deep breath which allowed Harry a moment to awaken some of his wits before they continued.

"A small squadron of ships with azure sails and purple grapes on them are sailing towards Bloodstone, one of our patrol ships spotting them and just reported back. They will be here within the hour." Aeron told Harry and looked at him expectantly, wanting to know what Harry was going to do about it.

Harry was confused though, the azure sails and grapes made them sound like Redwyne ships but he had received no notification of any coming let alone a squadron, his concern rising as he asked.

"How big is the squadron?"

Aeron blinked for a second, surprised at the seemingly random question but answered his lord as best he could.

"Twenty ships my lord."

Too few in number for it to be an attack Harry thought but enough to be an escort for someone, but who? He asked himself so with a slight nod to Aeron he gave his orders.

"Get everyone ready to receive a visitor, I will be down in a few minutes." Aeron nodded and ran off to follow his orders. Harry sighed as he closed the door, was it so wrong of him to hope for a few days peace he thought to himself sadly? Apparently the old saying was true here 'No rest for the wicked'.

Turning back to the bed he saw Rhaenys sitting upright with the blankets protecting her modesty, apparently having woken while he was speaking to Aeron.

"Who is coming?" She asked wearily but Harry could only shrug before telling her what he knew.

"Twenty Redwyne ships, almost certainly someone from the Reach but that is all I can guess from that." Harry told her regretfully as he sat down on the bed and took her hand. "I suppose we had best get dressed and ready to receive a guest."

Rhaenys tightened her hold before sighing herself. What she would not give for a few days peace.

 **-x-**

An hour and a half later, the Redwyne ships came into the harbour. On the now repaired stone quay Harry waited with Rhaenys, Kanoro and some of their soldiers. The town's folk all gathered to see what was going on as the strange ships entered the harbour, the sight of grapes on the azure sails made many frown as to who was stupid enough to use grapes as an emblem but thankfully no one said anything to that effect.

The largest ship, a galleas at the centre of the squadron drew up alongside the dock and lines were thrown to secure the ship. A long plank dropped down with a hard clatter and everyone looked up to see who the hell was coming to see them.

It came as quite a surprise when a wiry looking young man about three or so years older than Harry came down the gangplank wearing hooded robes and with a large chain around his next with links made of different metals. Harry's eyes which had been very weary of whoever have come to his islands, instantly relaxed as the wide smile and amused eyes of his old friend caught his.

As Alwyn walked down the plank Harry walked to meet him and the two men clapped each other in a manly hug with an honest and hearty laugh that made everyone on the dock relax. Once they had broken apart Harry turned to introduce him to Kanoro and Rhaenys who looked unsure of the maester.

"Rhaenys, Kanoro allow me to introduce you to Alwyn an old friend of my growing up in Oldtown. Alwyn this is my wife Rhaenys and my good friend Kanoro." Harry said cheerfully, a quick scan of Alwyn's thoughts showed no hostile or hidden intent so Harry was confident enough to introduce his wife by her real name although they would have to change that soon Harry thought with worry, given her looks and name it would not take people long to wonder just where she came from. The trouble was that too many of their people already knew her name was Rhaenys leaving it too late to change it, so a fictional family name was essential now if they were going to pull this ruse off.

Alwyn was not in the least surprised by Harry calling Rhaenys his wife and Kanoro his friend, in fact he smiled wider and rushed forward to greet them and quickly kissed Rhaenys' hand and shook Kanoro's before talking very quickly.

"Hello it is a pleasure to meet you! Can you tell me what was it like in Volantis or the other Free Cities? Are the star patterns there any different to Westeros or here for that matter? Do you know anything of the local medicine?" Alwyn hit both of them with a barrage of questions in Valyrian so fast that neither had a chance to speak.

Seeing them looking worriedly at Alwyn Harry laughed again and came to the rescue. "Easy Alwyn, you have only just arrived. Let us show you to your quarters and I will show you some of the various lore I picked up on my travels?" Harry said and just as he predicted Alwyn clasped him by the hand and eagerly went back to the ship to supervise the unloading of the books and tools he had brought from the Citadel which knowing him Harry thought would be enough to fill his library hall twice over. Kanoro looking rather worried asked whispering the words in his ear.

"Is he insane?"

Harry shook his head slightly before answering with a smile.

"No just eccentric, Alwyn is a genius. He forged that chain by the age of seventeen, each link is a discipline he has learn and each additional link of the same metal shows his level of skill." Harry pointed to the chain in question that had links of black iron for ravenry, bronze for astronomy or astrology, yellow gold for math and economics, silver for biology and even a Valyrian steel link for the higher mysteries. Other links included brass, platinum, steel, red gold and at least one additional copy of each link. While Kanoro looked slightly doubtful Harry noticed other people where now coming ashore including another old friend of his.

"Gunthor, it is good to see you!" Harry said cheerfully although his mood was dampened slightly by the stern gaze on the young man. He was now as tall as Harry with a heavily muscled frame from hours of training, his dark hair was cut shorter than most men and a slight beard made him look years older despite being the same age as Harry himself. Gunthor stood there in silence for a few moments which made everyone slightly nervous before he finally spoke.

"You did not say goodbye." Gunthor Hightower said with a low voice looking stonily at Harry who nodded before saying.

"I had too, you know that." Harry said simply, it was the truth after all. To avoid potential civil war within the Reach, though he had left without saying goodbye to Gunthor or Alwyn. Perhaps Harry thought he could have tried harder but Gunthor shook his hand and then allowed a slight smile to grace his face which Harry returned.

However before they could talk further the last two passengers appeared at the gangplank and Harry's attention was drawn to them straight away. The younger passenger was a girl on the cusp of womanhood but her slender curves would be enticing to any man who saw them, her thick brown hair fell in straight around her shoulders and her eyes were a warm and caring hazel. Harry knew who she was on sight, many of her features were given to her from their late mother and although they had not seen each other in many years he was certain that this was his younger sister Margaery Tyrell. She looked down at Harry with curiosity, not really sure what to make of him but he smiled and she returned it both wondering deeply about the other.

However surprising it was to see Margaery there on the deck of the ship, the person standing next to her was such a shock that Harry had to try very hard not to react. She was a much older woman than Margaery, in her mid to late sixties and had her white hair concealed under a hat. Her face was lined with all her years but to those who could read such things the intense and strong will that held up the old woman could be seen burning in her eyes, not to mention her great intelligence. She might be leaning on a cane but it was anyone's guess as to whether or not she actually needed it, just like how she would claim her hearing was going.

He had never expected to see both of them here, the surprise had knocked him way out of his comfort zone and he had not planned to introduce Rhaenys to any of his family until they had an airtight cover story for her origins but it seems they were just going to have to be very careful. Rhaenys already was looking rather unsure of herself when confronted with the matriarch of House Tyrell.

Kanoro not understanding why Harry and Rhaenys were suddenly acting this way when they saw the old woman asked Harry quietly in Valyrian, thinking she would not understand.

"Who is this old woman?"

He came to regret his question however moments later.

"I young man am not a deaf woman and nor am I stupid." Olenna shouted at Kanoro in Valyrian which shocked everyone but Harry who knew she could speak the language. So instead he stood as tall as he could, refusing to show weakness which he knew grandmother or not would be fatal in front of her.

"Rhaenys, Kanoro, this is Lady Olenna Tyrell. My grandmother and the true leader of House Tyrell." Harry said in a voice that was calm and steady, lacking affection on the surface which did not seem to upset Olenna as much as it did Margaery.

Kanoro and Rhaenys bowed or curtsied immediately now they knew her significance but Olenna focused her attention solely on Harry.

"Young man…we need to talk."

 **-x-**

While Margaery was distracted by Rhaenys, Kanoro kept Gunthor in the training yard and Alwyn was distracted by some of the lore provided for him, Harry was face to face with Olenna in his solar, staring silently at each other. Harry was unsure of what to say, she had been and in some ways still was his most favourite relative who had the cunning and intelligence that his house had lacked for decades if not longer. But much to his own regret he could not fully trust her, her ambition and ruthlessness was equal to her positive attributes and given he was now married with children of his own on the way he must he knew be cautious.

Olenna however was not one to wait longer than she had too and spoke with irritation in her voice.

"Well are we going to talk or waste more of my final years sitting here and glaring at each other?"

Harry did not react however with the same tone or in any way with emotion, he spoke calmly and directly.

"I for one was enjoying the silence but you are right, there are things we need to discuss."

Olenna was unsettled by how Harry was talking, she was used to idiots who could easily manipulated like her son and eldest grandson but Harry was sharper than both of them put together and she realised being out there in the world on his own had only made him more aware and alert to such things. But her feelings of concern that her favourite and most accomplished grandson was treating her so coldly would have to wait until they spoke of other more pressing matters.

"What of the Free Cities that claim these islands? Will they not send armies to kill or enslave you and your…people?" Olenna asked him but Harry gently shook his head and said.

"They are far too busy fighting the war over in Essos to worry about islands they claim but have never actually controlled or contributed to their cause. With a slave revolt across the continent going on as well, they will have too many headaches to have time to waste on me and mine. By the time the war is over they will have to spend years rebuilding their treasuries and forces before coming here and that is if they want to waste their efforts. We will be well-fortified and be a vassal of the Iron Throne by then, war with us might risk the wrath of Westeros which I doubt any of the Three Sisters would want, even if they stand together." Harry told her and Olenna could only nod seeing the logic and reality of his arguments but there was still one rather big issue that Olenna was desperate to bring up with him, one that could spell doom for House Tyrell.

"And what of the fact you have married Rhaenys Targaryen?" Olenna asked him with worry now clear on her face, Harry was about to deny that was who she was but Olenna cut him off before he could talk. "I have lived long enough to see generations of both snakes and dragons, not to mention I was at her mother's wedding and even saw the girl herself was she was young. I know Rhaenys Targaryen when I see her…putting aside how she is alive when she was supposedly slaughtered in Kings Landing, what are you going to do if she is discovered? Or makes a play for the throne herself?" Olenna asked him, it worried her no end the danger of having that girl in her family even if Harry now had an army of his own and the Reach behind him, she would make sure of that at least.

"If Dorne learns Rhaenys is alive they will pledge their spears to her in an instant, our two kingdoms together will be enough to make a fight of it. But more importantly my wife despises her Targaryen family for what happened…all her father and grandfather did to her mother. She hates the Iron Throne and would rather cut off her own hands than reach for it. Our children might think differently I grant but for now that is not an issue." Harry said and while Olenna looked doubtful at Rhaenys' apparent hatred of the Iron Throne given how many would kill their own kin for a chance to sit on it her eyes widened at the mention of children, no doubt because it would mean she would soon have great-grandchildren and they would have a claim on the damn thing.

Harry then changed the subject, onto one that he did not particularly want to talk about but in his mind needed to be addressed. He steadied his nerves before telling her what he had learned in the House of the Undying.

"I know that you had grandfather murdered."

The silence was tense as Olenna looked at him, genuinely shocked at what he had said but when she was about to deny it, she caught the look of certainty in Harry's eyes and knew her secret had been discovered and she felt herself age ten years. Rumours flew around gossiping nobles that were close to the truth but no one left could actually testify to that, she had made certain of it but it seems somehow Harry had discovered it. It would she admitted with sadness explain his caution around her, it stabbed at a heart that she guarded closely that a member of her family, one of her own blood would think her a kinslayer but Harry was staring at her not with a questioning look rather than condemnation which made her realise he wanted an explanation for what she had done. He wanted to know why she had done it, to hear her side of the story and nodded deciding to let him know the truth.

"Your grandfather was slighted by the Targaryens many times, passed over for positions on the Small Council, for members of his family to be named to the Kingsguard and lastly for betrothals to members of our family. He was much like your father is but without any of the charm and refused my council, so he got into bed with the Blackfyres." Olenna said, saying things she had not thought about in years. If Harry was surprised at what was being said he did nothing beyond raising an eyebrow and allowed her to continue. "They whispered many sweet promises in his ear if he threw the Reach behind them, it would have meant our destruction if it became public. I had to stop him and those that were tempting him." She said with certainty and Harry averted his eyes for a moment before meeting her gaze again, he looked unsettled slightly but he nodded in acceptance.

"Then you did the only thing you could do to save our family." Harry said sadly before sighing and poured himself and Olenna a drink of water each. They took a sip and he told her. "Do not worry about anyone else discovering the secret, it will stay between us but do not think I will be a puppet or a fool. Our family's survival comes first and I will do whatever I must to secure the future of my children." Harry told her with a note of warning, her schemes would come second to his own children and his people.

Olenna nodded and finally said something that had been on her mind for a while now with wounded expression on her face.

"You really scared me grandson, when I heard about what you had done in Volantis. I honestly thought you would die." Olenna said looking vulnerable, something Harry had never seen in his grandmother before and likely never would again. It stabbed at him, he had never wanted to scare her or hurt any member of his family by doing what he thought was right. He reached over and took her hand and told her.

"I never wanted to worry you."

"Then don't do something so foolish again." Olenna said with exasperation. "Sometimes I wonder if you ever grew up from being that little prankster who consistently interrupted me breakfast."

Harry only grinned, not sure if there was any point to growing up if you could not be a little childish at times.

Olenna sighed realising he wasn't going to make that promise but could content herself with something…at last House Tyrell had a real man, someone for her to work with to secure its future given she could not trust Mace or Loras. Harry returned her smile and then went over to a cabinet, withdrawing something which she thought might be wine but instead it was a walking stick, the wood was intricately carved and had many plant like patterns finely made into it but otherwise was just like any other piece of wood.

"A piece I picked up in Qarth for you on my travels. I think you might be interested in what you find when twisting the top." He told her with a smile and she was curious so twisted the top off to find a hidden compartment inside with a glass vial filled with some greenish liquid. "Basilisk venom, one of the most deadly poisons in the world so be very careful with it. But of course you can use it for all manner of poisons whatever you preference." Harry said with a smile and she carefully put the vial back inside with a smile of her own.

Her kind of stick Olenna thought.

 **-x-**

The still growing gardens of Bloodstone were a labour of love for Rhaenys and her ladies who worked daily on them so hopefully one day they would have a beautiful place to run and play with their children. Some magic and plants donated by Harry had sped the work along but it was only with care and attention that these blossoms had begun to sprout and make the place an oasis of calm and beauty.

Still it was irritating Rhaenys as she walked around the garden area with her goodsister Margaery, the younger woman was perfectly polite and warm but Rhaenys could feel the derision in her eyes as she looked at the still growing gardens, hardly surprising Rhaenys thought given Margaery had grown up in a castle that was filled with gardens that had been created long before either of them had been born and cared for by servants constantly.

Margaery was eager to change the subject and said with a big smile.

"I have always wanted a sister, older or younger it would not matter just so long as I have someone to talk to that was closer to my age and more importantly female. My brother and father are not the most empathic people in the world, grandmother is brilliant but she is far older than I. I cannot wait to show you our home at Highgarden, it is the largest castle in Westeros next to Winterfell or the Red Keep with gardens and musicians there to enjoy all day. What was yours like?" Margaery asked looking expectantly at Rhaenys who merely smiled for a moment.

Fishing for information on me already are you? Rhaenys thought to herself with wariness, while not really trained in the game she was not ignorant and knew how to spot a hidden agenda when talking to someone. No doubt she thought Harry was being quizzed by his grandmother and if she found the truth it was all they could hope for that she would keep it to herself. As for her granddaughter Rhaenys thought as she turned her attention back to Margaery and tried her best to answer while sticking to the cover story that had been hastily assembled.

"My father and mother were people of importance that were killed by rivals before their time. I had no family but I had a fortune that a rival wanted so he took me in and I remained as his hostage until your brother took the city and gave me my freedom. As we travelled here I came to know him far better and we fell in love, we actually only married yesterday so our children will have his name." Rhaenys said her hand going instinctively to her belly and Margaery's eyes widened as she took in what Rhaenys had told her and like a good cover story most of the details were true.

Margaery however was now beaming from ear to ear at the news that she was going to be an aunt, whether it was a niece or nephew she did not care. What mattered was she was going to have someone to spoil rotten, little children that would call her aunt and who she could be mentor to like her grandmother had been to her. She was almost laughing out loud with the anticipation of it. She linked her arm with Rhaenys and was about to ask about names for the babes when a little girl ran across their path and fell over on an uneven stone. Rhaenys and Margaery immediately went to help the girl up but instead of crying like many young children might or reject their help, the girl eagerly got to her feet and smiled brightly at both of them. She was clearly Valyrian Margaery noted with purple eyes and silver hair and Margaery asked her.

"Are you okay young lady?"

But the girl looked at her puzzled as if not understanding the question, Margaery was used to dealing with children given all the orphanages she frequented at home but they at least understood her when she talked to them. She was about to repeat the question when Rhaenys beat her too it and spoke words that sounded almost gibberish that the girl instantly responded too with an big smile and spoke quickly in the same tongue leaving Margaery looking between feeling an idiot.

Once the girl had run off Margaery asked Rhaenys.

"What language was that? It was not the Common Tongue?" Margaery wanted to know what tongue they had been speaking, her grandmother had used something similar on the dock earlier but she had not really bothered to learn another language. She had never expected to travel and everyone in the Seven Kingdoms spoke the Common Tongue, her grandmother had been exasperated but not pressed the point now something Margaery knew she would have to fix when she got back to Highgarden.

"Valyrian. A common language throughout Essos where nearly everyone on these islands comes from. The world is not Westeros you know." Rhaenys told her with a little smirk before steering them back towards the main solar where Harry was talking with Lady Olenna, the outcome of these talks would determine whether or not they would have support from the Reach or not. A crucial step in towards them being secure.

Walking up through the castle they arrived just as Olenna and Harry were finishing, seeing his wife and sister arm in arm made Harry rise from his chair and seeing the smile on his face that looked genuine Rhaenys surmised that their little talks had gone well. Harry then gestured to the corner of the room.

 **-x-**

"Margaery." Harry said proudly as he looked his sister in the eye. "I regret that my travels have made me miss many of your namedays so I have all the presents here at once." Harry said pointing to a chest in the corner. Margaery looked at him in surprise not having expecting this and Olenna was looking on with curiosity as Margaery went over and opened the chest, gasping in shock when she saw what was inside. Olenna looked on and just shook her head with a small smile.

Bolts of green, blue & gold coloured simmering silk and lace for her to have some dresses made from, jewellery from all over the world and a few other things her brother had collected in the course of his travels that a noble lady like her could enjoy. One thing did stand out from the rest however was a dagger, not the sort of thing she was known for but it was wrapped in a series of straps and was slimmer and more elaborate than a normal dagger. Its steel was light, studded with a few small emeralds and more importantly it had ripples in the very metal itself.

Margaery was amazed at how beautiful it was, the small crossguard and hilt were styled like a hawk. She withdrew it from the straps and was surprised at how light it was, thinking the metal would have been heavier. Olenna looked on in concern while Harry explained.

"It is a Lady Talon, many Valyrian noblewomen had one hidden beneath their skirts using the straps. I would rather my sister have the means to protect herself than rely on idiot knights that would desert or kill her for the right price." Harry told them having recovered this dagger in Valyria. Rhaenys and each of her ladies had one too and they all knew how to use it so it would not be right for him not to make sure his sister had the same protection Harry thought given what his grandmother and father no doubt had in mind for her.

Olenna was two minds about it herself; she was wary of what other nobles would think if they knew that her granddaughter went around armed with dagger but at the same time she would sleep far easier if she knew Margaery could take care of herself with more than just words. A beautiful woman like her would always be in danger of a man that would not take no for an answer but this rose would have her own thorns Olenna thought and Margaery it seems was of the same mind as she grinned at the dagger in her hand.

"Lady Talon, I like the Lady part but I think I will call it _Lady Thorn_." Margaery said her grin turning calculating as she slipped the dagger back into the straps.

* * *

A feast was held that night to celebrate their new arrivals which Alwyn did not attend as he was still going over all the bits and pieces Harry had made available to him and would likely be distracted for several days, Harry made a note to make sure the kitchens sent food up to him and the guards to ensure he ate it. He admired Alwyn's intelligence and loyalty but he could become swept up in things easily if you let him. Rhaenys had also told him about the language issue Margaery had with Noelle in the gardens, a potential worry since they had so few translators on hand so he would talk to Jothos and Alwyn about that once they got the latter away from his books and scrolls.

While the rest of the tables all talked and enjoyed themselves, Harry took the chance to speak to Gunthor who had not left the training yard all day and come back winded and with more than a few bruises but smiling wider than Harry had seen in a long time.

"I hope Kanoro did not humiliate you too much." Harry said knowing full well Gunthor had tried and failed several times to defeat Kanoro at swordplay, but however many times he had been defeated and knocked down, Gunthor always got back up and tried again. It was not that he lost and couldn't stand the fact, it was that he enjoyed the fighting with a great opponent and then laughing and joking about it afterwards. He loved a challenge Harry thought but enjoyed making friends more once he had come out of his shell.

Gunthor laughed and said.

"I have not had a fight that good in years, your man can wield a sword like he came out of the womb with it in his hand." Gunthor smiled as he nodded to Kanoro who accepted the rather rough compliment with good grace, having heard far worst in the fighting pits.

"What have you been up too all these years?" Harry asked glad his friend no longer held any anger towards him after parting so abruptly.

"Won a few melees in tourneys here and there, got knighted by Lord Rowan. Went around the country a bit but never managed to contend with the likes of Ser Barristan Selmy or the Kingslayer, then…I met this girl." Gunthor said suddenly becoming shy when he added the last part, looking younger than his seventeen years. Harry smiled and was delighted his friend had found a girl he liked, while it would be a great honour for him and his house to be named to join the Kingsguard there were far greater things you could do out there if one had the courage and opportunity to try.

"Who's the lucky girl?" Harry asked with a smirk, his friend looking sheepish as he mumbled an answer which Harry and the others could not hear. Kanoro smirked himself and Harry said teasing his friend slightly. "Sorry I didn't catch that."

"Talla Tarly." Gunthor said with a blush burning on his face. Harry's eyes widened at the girl in question, the only daughter of Lord Randyll Tarly the greatest general in the Seven Kingdoms and one of the strongest lords in the Reach. Harry had never seen her in the flesh but she must be quite something to have smitten Gunthor so.

"How did you meet?" Kanoro asked in rough common tongue which he had been learning. He had been smitten with his wife from the moment that they had first seen each other and it seemed the young warrior here was much the same as him at that age in regards to women, unsure of himself.

"At a tourney near Goldengrove, only a small thing but when I saw her dancing I couldn't take my eyes off her." Gunthor said with a faraway look in his eye that both Harry and Kanoro knew well smiling for him. "We talked awhile and she is the nicest girl you could imagine, even let me wear her favour during the joust which I won by the way." Gunthor said with a dreamy smile before a frown took its place. "Her father did not like it at all, less when I asked if I could marry her." Gunthor said with anger creeping in.

Seeing Kanoro look confused as he knew nothing of Westeros politics Gunthor explained. "I am a second son with no castle or chance of one unless something happens to my elder brother, I give him no real advantage apart from a slight alliance with House Hightower. He intends Lord Fossoway to marry his daughter."

"Old Fossoway!" Harry said in surprise knowing the man well from the times he had come to Highgarden and Oldtown, a rotting carcass of a man that was in his late fifties and never bothered with his personal hygiene anymore. His hair was filthy, his breath foul and his teeth yellow and rotting, he would not know what do with a girl as young as Talla Tarly even if he lived long enough to wed her. He had never been married and was said to be a pillowbiter, another reason why this was a waste of such a highborn lady. She wouldn't even get his castle if he died as his nephew was the declared legal heir, had Lord Tarly taken a dislike to Gunthor Harry wondered and was angry if that was the case.

"Yes, he did say I can marry her if I can give him twelve thousand gold dragons." Gunthor said with annoyance. There was no way of him raising that kind of coin before Talla was married, he could win smaller tourneys but the entry fees of many would drain his collected coin even if he won and with the competition being much harder in higher level tourneys like the royal ones thrown by the king he had no chance of winning them. Not against the likes the Mountain, Barristan the Bold or the Kingslayer to say nothing of Harry's own brother Loras. His family would not help him, the figure was far too high to spend on a second son and they had advised him to change his focus to another girl but he was not ready to give up yet.

Harry felt for his friend, he knew Lord Tarly was proud and a difficult man at times not to mention he had a cruel streak that he indulged against his enemies and even his own eldest son. He had seen the way Randyll treated Samwell during the few times they had come to Highgarden and there were tales that he had a habit of tormenting prisoners in secret although nothing had ever been proven. This was probably a way of tormenting Gunthor for having the gall to try and court his daughter without his approval when he had made other plans for her.

In a split second he made his decision.

"I will give you the coin you need."

Both Gunthor and Kanoro looked at him shocked while Harry gave them a smile, he could well afford it and not only would it make his friend happy but would give him a good ally on the mainland. In the coming years he was going to need Gunthor's help, someone who he could trust and was capable of handling themselves. It would also tighten his connection to House Hightower through Gunthor.

 **-x-**

Olenna heard nothing of this as she and Margaery were talking with Rhaenys, the Tyrell Matriarch was of course deeply worried about tying her family to the Targaryens and Martells given how things were in the continent right now but her appreciation of her grandson's wife rose when she found her to be intelligent and rather fierce in her protectiveness of those she cared about. Olenna smiled as she was reminded of Princess Sarella Martell, Rhaenys' grandmother on the Dornish side. Never had Olenna seen a woman of such fierceness and grace in the same package, ruling Dorne with an iron fist but wrapped in a silk glove. She could charm anyone and crush her enemies just as quickly and her spirit was strong in Rhaenys. If she ever did decide to be a queen then Olenna could see her much like her ancestor, a fierce warrior queen that would be sung about for centuries.

The festivities were interrupted when Jothos entered holding a letter in his hand and handed it to Harry with a frown on his face. Harry lost his smile knowing it must be something serious as he opened the letter and indeed he thought with a grimace it was.

 _Harry Tyrell of Bloodstone,_

 _His grace Robert Baratheon, First of his name. King of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men. Protector of the Realm hereby commands that you appear in Kings Landing to pay homage to him within a month's time._

 _An immediate response is expected and failure to do so would invite severe penalties against you and the islands you now rule._

 _Writing on behalf of his grace,_

 _Lord Jon Arryn,_

 _Hand of the King, Lord Paramount of the Vale and Warden of the East._

The silence around those that had seen the letter was complete, no one said a word as they realised the implications.

Olenna eventually spoke with a grave sadness.

"You have conquered my boy, now let's see how well you can play the game."

* * *

 _Hope you guys liked it, please review and let me know what you think._

 _ **Next Chapter – Harry goes to Kings Landing for the first time.**_


	13. Chapter 13 Game Changers

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _I am glad so many of you have taken the time to read this story, you guys are the best!_

 _Some of you have been asking if Harry is going to conquer the Stepstones. Since I am ambivalent to this I will put up a poll and let you guys chose. It should be up within a day of this chapter being posted._

 _This chapter contains Jon Arryn bashing, sorry anyone that likes that character._

 **Chapter 13 – Game Changers**

 _ **Blackwater Bay, the Silence…**_

 _The Silence_ cut through the waves as it made its way towards the capital of Westeros, the wind was strong and despite the weather being quite warm there was a chill running across nearly everyone felt on the ship at least those that knew the history of their destination. Above in the rigging Orion slept, not caring at all that they were about to head in to a proverbial viper's nest.

Harry stood out on deck as they passed Dragonstone, the barren island with its fortress of the same name was standing guard over the opening of the bay. He was worried about this trip, honestly more worried than he had been for a very long time. Perhaps due his being married to Rhaenys and what would happen to her and their still to be born children if he messed up and they were discovered. War that would tear his homeland, the islands he now ruled and possibly Dorne to apart if he screwed up so he took a calming breath and tried to work out how to play this.

Senses honed by experience and training alerted him to the presence of Kanoro who walked up to him and stood watching as they came closer to their city.

"I do not believe I have ever seen you quite like this." Kanoro said with concern. "Surely after all the battle and death we have seen, this city of Kings Landing could not be so bad?" Saying it more as a question than a statement.

Harry only laughed bitterly. "If only it was as simple as a battle my friend, Kings Landing is a snake nest of politics and backstabbing ambition. No one here cares a jot for anyone but themselves and would kill their dearest friend if it benefited them, there is simply no interest in the common good here. No one that can be trusted, so the best advice I can give you is watch your back." He might never have been to the capital before but he knew what he had been told by those who had and what he had learned in his history lessons. His grandmother who was currently resting her cabin had repeated such on their way here, he was glad she had insisted on coming as she had spies here and a greater knowledge of politics than him. She had done her best to prepare him but it was he who would have to speak directly with the King and they could only hope he did not mess up.

Kanoro looked at him in surprise at his frank appraisal of Kings Landing. He known that the rich often indulged in games such as these to gain power or more wealth on top of what they already had but to hear it was the normal state of affairs here was…unsettling.

Harry gave his friend a comforting pat on the shoulder before they finally came in sight of Kings Landing a few hours later.

* * *

 _ **Kings Landing…**_

The large walls of the city reminded them both of when they stormed Volantis, a larger but more unified city than this one. As their ship came closer to the dock however and Lady Olenna walked out of the main cabin to join them they were hit with an overwhelming stench. Harry was tempted to cast the bubble head charm but with his grandmother and the rest of the crew present he couldn't, he supposed he would have to tolerate it.

The rest of the crew and Kanoro all recoiled at the strength of the smell, some putting their hands to this mouths and noses. Eyes watering they turned to their leader who shook his head while Olenna shrugged.

"The Targaryens never bothered to install or update drainage in the city, the smell is the result." Harry said simply as they tied the ship to the dock and dropped the planks. On the docks he saw an old man with an entourage of gold cloaks and men dressed in blue with eagles on the shields. This Harry realised must be Jon Arryn, the current hand of the King and Lord of the Vale. He had more lines on his face than any other man Harry had ever seen probably due to the stress of running Westeros and being seventy six years old. His shoulders were broad and he did manage to stand tall despite his age. His blue eyes looked at Harry with sharp disapproval and Harry was stumped as to why.

"Harry Tyrell, the King is waiting at the Red Keep." Jon Arryn said sharply and Harry's eyes narrowed at the disrespect as did Kanoro's when Arryn looked the tall Essosi warrior up and down before dismissing him out of hand. Before either of them could say anything however Olenna beat them too it.

"The Lord Hand himself, I suppose we should be honoured. The King sends him personal arse wiper to greet us, surely the most important position at court." The old lady told Jon Arryn, a man only six years her elder. The remark seemed to make some of the gold cloaks laugh out loud before the glares of the Knights of the Vale shut them up. Jon Arryn himself was glaring at her to try and cover his surprise at her being here but Olenna was not finished yet as she came down the plank.

"Oh going to tattle on me, surely a Lord Paramount should be above someone calling him names. My grandson has done what no King of Westeros has ever managed so maybe you greet him as a lord should. Hmm?" Olenna said her glare at Jon Arryn was starting to buckle the man's resolve. Harry nearly smiled at his grandmother shutting the Arryn down when he managed to catch Arryn's eye and read his thoughts briefly, looking for the reason the Lord of the Eyrie disliked him and then he saw it.

Arryn hated chaos, war had taken his only heir and nephew until his own son was born and now he was willing to gain peace at any cost. Harry was the embodiment of the thing he hated, sacking Volantis and destabilizing Essos, starting a continent war and a massive slave revolt that undermined the status quo and threatened to drag Westeros into the fighting. Not to mention taking the Stepstones which threatened relations with the Three Sisters in his mind and that House Tyrell now controlled the islands which he feared would lead to war between them and the Martells.

Harry found it rather sad that a man from a region that prized fighting prowess could have come to have such a view point, understandable as it was given what war had cost him. Peace is a goal, not a means to an end, conflict was always on the horizon and to appease your enemies would only delay the inevitable. They would demand more and more until you were unable or unwilling to exceed to anymore of their demands. The Lannisters were a case in point, they demanded more and more power within the city and Jon Arryn allowed this to happen weakening relations with other houses and making the Lannisters so strong it would be near suicide to go against them. The King was another example, to keep the peace Jon Arryn allowed Robert Baratheon to walk all over him, or the Lannisters escape punishment for what had happened to Elia Martell and her son driving Dorne into isolationism.

Harry nearly shook his head, the man would stand up for what he believed to be right, up to a point. There was of course the chance he might realise the danger of his approach but as they made their way through the city with a cart following with gifts for Robert just behind them, Jon Arryn was only concerned for the moment in what he believed to be the greater good.

Those words made Harry visibly scowl, too many lives had been sacrificed to that phrase than any other in history, due to men using it to justify their own self-interest.

 **-x-**

The Red Keep was an impressive fortress, made of red stone hence its name it had very high and thick curtain walls and seven large drum towers with many protected positions for archers, stone parapets, large bronze gates and tall halls and towers reached high above them. The work of Maegor the Cruel it had been the home of the Targaryen Dynasty for centuries until the rebellion, it was Harry had to admit one hell of a castle. Taking it would be a near impossible feat if it were fully manned, provisioned and equipped.

They rode into the fortress through the main gate and dismounted their horses, or in Olenna's case left her wheelhouse and were greeted by a parade of gold cloaks that lined the way to throne room. Olenna who they walked slower to accommodate whispered to him.

"A show of strength to intimidate you, more showing off their swords." Harry nodded to show his understanding, glad that he and Kanoro had decided to wear their armour and carry their own swords as a statement of them being warriors. It gave them an extra piece of confidence that was needed now.

The Throne Room was a large space which had once been he was told decorated with dragon skulls but they were long gone now it seemed and when they arrived it was full of courtiers who looked on in curiosity as they walked in. Some sneered at Kanoro, no doubt due to the colour of his skin which he ignored with much regrettable experience while Harry fumed over someone treating his right hand man like that.

But their eyes all turned towards the grotesque looking Iron Throne, one look at it was enough to make Harry see why Rhaenys wanted nothing to do with it. The way it twisted and distorted people, look at Robert Baratheon for example. Where once they had been the fiercest of warriors with muscles bigger than Harry's head and a Warhammer to swing with them, now a drunken wreck sat on the throne made of melted swords. His belly so large that he could no longer fit inside armour and a beard resembled a bird's nest more than the neatly trimmed one he had worn twenty years ago. His bloodshot eyes were telling, drunk or hungover with little proper sleep Harry shouldn't wonder. Harry honestly thought it a waste with some sympathy…not too much of course as Robert had spat on the corpses of Rhaenys' mother and brother before sitting on that throne but he should have never taken the throne at all, he was not suited to this life, being a warrior or a sellsword would be preferable as that would give him other better outlets for his grief…not being a king.

Kanoro had been told of Robert Baratheon before they came here but he was struggling to accept the supposed warrior he had been and the overweight drunk he saw now. He had thankfully managed to hide his surprised disgust.

A look around the court did not improve Harry or Kanoro's view of the capital, the queen that stood at Robert's side was as prideful and stuck up as any rich woman that they had ever seen. Cersei Lannister was looking down her nose at them before even a word was spoken and although she was still a beautiful woman with a slender but very enticing figure, the contempt and arrogance on her face made her look to Harry's eyes at least rather ugly.

The children clustered around her did not help the situation, the youngest Myrcella and Tommen were both he could tell still children and sweet with their curious but shy looks at Harry and Kanoro. Prince Joffrey the heir to the throne however was sneering down at them with obvious contempt that was near a mirror to his mother.

Aside from them there was the Small Council which waited around the throne, Jon Arryn of course who was still angry at them. But there was Stannis Baratheon who was honestly looking like he would rather be anywhere but here, not surprising given he was a practical man and had little interest in politics or pomp and celebration. He also hated the Tyrells given they had starved him for a year while sieging Storm's End. He openly glared at Harry and Olenna but they ignored it.

Renly Baratheon however was different matter, he was honestly curious when he looked at Harry possibly because of his close relationship with Loras, Harry's brother. He was nowhere near as muscled as his eldest brother had been or his other brother was now and dressed in the finest silk something that made Harry think of a peacock. More flashy than tough.

Varys the Master of Whispers was more of an enigma, his robes were decorative but it was more subtle and his expression was more serene and calm. Harry had been warned by his grandmother that he had the best spy network anywhere in the world and was far more cunning than nearly any other member of the Small Council, having served Aerys the Mad King and maintained his position on the Small Council when Robert took the throne and stayed there longer than any other current member except Pycelle. He would be one to watch Harry thought.

Speaking of the Grand Maester Pycelle was an old leach and a spy for the Lannister, enough said.

The last member of the Small Council was however one Harry knew he would have to watch Petyr Baelish. Sly and greedy he had the intelligence and cunning to be capable of anything, or so Olenna had told him and Harry trusted his grandmother in this, she had always been an excellent judge of character.

His quick assessment of the occupants of the room done, Harry walked forward and gave a bow to the king before saying with a wide smile.

"Your grace, how goes the day?"

That stunned everyone, no one expected Harry to dare ask such a question instead of bowing and scraping as everyone else did before the king, like his own father had done on several occasions. Robert himself was confused but answered all the same.

"Well enough young Tyrell, you?"

Harry smiled while Olenna grinned, knowing full well what he was doing. Robert liked people who were upfront and to the point so Harry would be just that.

"I cannot complain your grace, nice pleasant sea voyage and was greeted by the Lord Hand himself. First visit to the capital, all I need is a good spar and my day is perfect." Harry said knowing how much a warrior Robert still was at his core. He respected good fighters so that is what Harry would present himself as.

He knew his approach was working when Robert smiled and said back.

"Absolutely, loved smacking in heads with my Warhammer to end a day." Robert said. "You here to bend the knee and get the thing over with?" Robert asked and Harry gave him a bemused look before saying.

"Well that is a given your grace, if you want the full thing okay." Harry told him and knelt before saying. "I Harry Tyrell of Bloodstone and the Stepstones hereby swear my undying fealty to his grace Robert Baratheon, first of his name." Harry rattled off the man's titles and then was allowed to rise.

"Then I name you Lord Paramount of the Stepstones and Warden of the Narrow Sea." Robert said glad to have the pomp over and done with, there was a gasp in the room at the announcement. Being named a lord was big enough but to be named the Warden of the Narrow Sea was a shock to all as it basically meant Harry was guarding the entrance to the eastern coast of Westeros from the southern end.

Jon Arryn was horrified and so were the Lannisters while Stannis gritted his teeth in anger at the title awarded to a Tyrell right in front of him. Harry bowed again and spoke before anyone else could especially.

"Thank you your grace, myself and my men will defend the entrance to the Narrow Sea with all our strength. In the meantime, I hope you will like some of the spiced wine we brought for you and a chest of gold for your treasury." Harry said as servants were bringing in the barrels and chest they had brought with them.

 **-x-**

"Good see that you do." Robert said with a smile no doubt going to receive a yelling from Jon Arryn and his whore of a queen but it was worth it for the irritation it would cause Cersei. Looking at back at the bold Tyrell he took a moment to study his companions, Lady Olenna was known to him already and he actually although he would never admit this, liked the Tyrell Matriarch. Strong and fiercely protective of her family and smarter than nearly his entire court, she reminded Robert very much of his own mother Cassana Estermont. He could well remember times when she had put his father Steffon in his place and her loss had cut very deep. In truth it was only his respect for Olenna that made him tolerate them and Renly's close relationship, he cared little for his brothers, Stannis was a prude that could not bend or change his mind even to save himself and Renly was easily led and more like a prancing fool than a warrior like their forefathers.

Speaking of warriors though his eyes turned to the tall dark skinned man that stood in armour at the young Tyrell's side, heavily muscled and his stance showed he was ready to at a moment's notice to jump into action. Coming from a kingdom known for martial prowess Robert knew a real warrior when he saw one.

"Although I know your grandmother well enough, who is this?" He asked and the young Rose was only too willing to answer.

"This your grace is Kanoro, the greatest swordsman in Essos. Never has he been defeated." Harry Tyrell told him but with certainty, not over the top like his father but instead quietly confident. The man himself was similar, quiet in their confidence which Robert did respect, an idea then came into his head that should see if those two deserved to wear that armour.

"I have heard you yourself are quite a swordsman Tyrell." Robert said a smirk coming to his face that he was not willing to suppress. "So as you two are already in your armour how about a duel? With live steel? You and your man against my best Kingsguard Ser Barristan and the Kingslayer?"

The silence in the room was total and you could have heard a pin drop. Harry, Kanoro, Ser Barristan and Ser Jaime were stunned at the decision but all realised it was not a request but a command from a king…they would have to do it.

So Jaime who wore his customary smirk and Ser Barristan who was far calmer and studying his opponents stepped down to the same level as their opponents and drew their swords.

 **-x-**

Harry on the other hand was seething on the inside, he had been prepared to play to Robert's ego but not fight against two highly skilled swordsmen for his amusement. Robert Arryn was looking worried, probably about the political implications of the fight about to happen while the Queen Bitch Cersei was smirking no doubt sure of her brother's victory but what really disturbed Harry was the reaction of Prince Joffrey.

The boy had a blood thirsty grin on his face and near manic look in his eyes, one that Harry had seen on his travels in the eyes of the most disturbed people, those who adored the sight of blood and lived only for their own sadistic amusement. And this was the heir to the throne? Harry was starting to get a worrying feeling about what would happen once Robert died and Joffrey took the throne.

Olenna retreated to the side with her guards, looking worriedly at Harry who gave her a reassuring smile. If necessary he would use any magic he could apply without being seen, there was no way he allow himself or his family to be humiliated in front of the entire Seven Kingdoms! He pulled _Orphanmaker_ and _Blackfyre_ from their sheaths while Kanoro pulled _Stormbringer_ from his waist. Seeing the distinctive swords a lot of the courtiers watching started muttering to themselves and the Kingsguard's eyes widened at the sight of more Valyrian steel than the city had seen in years but quickly focused back on their opponents withdrawing their less impressive but still well-crafted blades.

Harry lined up against Jaime Lannister while Kanoro being the better of their side faced Ser Barristan Selmy, Harry had just enough time to whisper in his ear.

"Don't underestimate Selmy, he might be old but he is the best swordsman in Westeros."

Kanoro nodded and assumed his ready position with both hands on his great sword while Harry readied himself with his two bastard swords in hand.

"Begin!" Robert said with excitement and Joffrey yelled out less than a second later.

"KILL HIM UNCLE JAIME! KILL HIM!"

It was surprising and those that heard it were taken aback but the fighters did not paid it any mind as they focused on their individual duels.

Jaime Lannister immediately went on the attack, striking with a little too much force as opposed to speed although it did not lack that Harry thought as he parried the blow and launched one of his own which was in turn blocked.

This was a real challenge Harry thought now feeling much better about the situation. Other than his regular spar with Kanoro and the men he had not had a really challenging fight in a while so he began to enjoy it more as they continued.

Two swords gave him more angles of attack but less force behind each strike so he started a series of fast strikes and feints to put Ser Jaime off balance, the smirk vanished off the Lannister knight when he realised Harry wasn't going to be so easy to defeat.

'Well, time for a lesson in humility.' Harry thought and began to hit harder and increase his speed planning out what counter moves Ser Jaime could make. He drove the Kingsguard back, but to give Ser Jaime his due he fought furiously and a few times Harry narrowly avoided a sword sent at his head. The steel was a whirlwind of silver through the air around them, dazzling all who saw it as none had seen this kind of duel between two expert swordsmen in their entire lives.

Neither Harry not Jaime were willing to give up but Harry was being more mindful as he drove Jaime back, keeping an eye on where they were until finally Harry made his move, he caught Jaime's sword in a blade lock and both pressed hard against each other, eager to break it. Their slightly sweating faces only a short distance apart as they glared at each other, the courtiers held their breath to see who would triumph and around the throne the Lannisters were cheering Jaime on while the rest looked on with interest.

Then Harry sidestepped and forced his blades down on the cross guard of Jaime's sword and twisted hard to the side sending the sword clattering across the floor. Before Jaime could react he had the sharp edge of _Orphanmaker_ at his throat. Harry was smiling as he took quick and shallow breaths as he was slightly winded by the fight.

No one could quite believe it, the courtiers were silent in shock that the Kingslayer had been beaten but there was still another fight going on to distract them from this completely unexpected victory.

Kanoro and Ser Barristan were still going at it while their younger counterparts had finished, their superior skill showing in how easily they predicted and countered each other's moves. Ser Barristan was amazingly agile for his age while Kanoro handled his great sword like it weighed nothing and was just as quick as Ser Barristan.

Neither man was gaining any ground on the other for nearly ten minutes, spinning apart only for Ser Barristan to suddenly sheath his sword, much to everyone's surprise. Ser Barristan turned to Robert and said.

"I must confess your grace that this man is truly a master with a sword. I cannot defeat him." Ser Barristan but he did not say it with sadness but pride. Kanoro likewise now sheathed his sword and now said his piece.

"I to cannot defeat his knight, I have not had a real opponent in many moons your grace. I salute you Ser Barristan Selmy." Kanoro added turning to the old knight and giving him a bow of respect which Ser Barristan returned with slight surprise.

The court was silent so many surprises in such a short space of time but soon they were buzzing with gossip that would last for days. Harry caught Olenna's eye and she was smiling broadly at him which he returned before looking back over to Ser Jaime who was dejectedly picking up his sword. Harry went up to him feeling a little sympathy and said to Jaime who glared at him.

"You did well in our little bout but you have allowed your skills to rust, not to mention you have little actual combat experience." Harry told him trying to be helpful although he was not sure that Jaime saw it that way. His face instantly twisted with anger at the perceived slight and he choked out.

"Inexperience!"

Harry clarified what he meant quickly but did not allow himself to react emotion staying perfectly calm.

"You were very young when you were named to the Kingsguard, most have done some traveling or fought in a war before being chosen. Your training is excellent but there is no substitute for experience and years of disuse have caused your skill to rust slightly."

Jaime seemed to still be angry but he relaxed somewhat as he realised the truth of Harry's words, he sighed and asked.

"So what should I do then?"

"Do as your mentor Ser Arthur did and hunt bandits." Harry said simply which confused Jaime as to why he should bother, so Harry elaborated. "Go out for a few months and get some real experience at fighting men in real combat, they would be no match for you but regular fighting would enable you to get some actual experience and rejuvenate your skills, it would also allow you to sharpen your mind, out think and trap your enemy. A deed for your page in the Book of Brothers if nothing else." Harry told him and he could see Jaime was really thinking about it before saying.

"I will consider it Lord Tyrell."

"I haven't seen that good a display in years." Robert said with a booming laugh that drew everyone's attention back to him. "By the way young Tyrell I meant to ask, that ship of yours? It looks like an Iron Born vessel."

"It was your grace, it belonged to Euron Greyjoy." The name brought a gasp of shock in the room and a snarl from the Lannisters in the room. Euron had burnt their fleet and even raided Lannisport in his brother's rebellion and never been punished for his transgression, largely at the intervention of Jon Arryn who had wanted 'peace' rather than cause any more potential upset. It was the only reason House Greyjoy still existed and ruled the Iron Islands. "We fought at the Battle near the Summer Isles, I managed to take his ship, treasure and his eye." Harry said with a dark satisfaction, he had left his mark on the Iron Born, one he would be reminded of every time he looked in the mirror and when they next met Harry intended to take his life.

Jon Arryn was instantly worried about the implications of a Reach/Stepstones Lord taking the ship belonging to the brother of the lord of the Iron Islands and permanently maiming him at the same time but Robert laughed and told everyone.

"I knew I liked you Young Tyrell, you have some sharp thorns."

 **-x-**

"Well that was exciting." Olenna said with a sigh as she sat back in her chair in the set of rooms that they had been provided with. The meeting with Robert Baratheon had gone better than she had expected and her grandson had earn more favour in one meeting than her son had in a decade of grovelling.

"I am glad we got to test our skills and prove we were better in front of the whole court although I did not like to have to perform like some kind of pet." Harry said and his man Kanoro nodded in agreement. Olenna just shook her head, they did not enjoy showing off however useful it was. Males that did not enjoying waving their 'sticks' about Olenna thought, what a rare thing.

Any conversation on the matter was stopped when a message was delivered, directly from Jon Arryn. The King had ordered a tourney to celebrate the conquest of the Stepstones and their bending the knee to the Iron Throne, a sigh escaped them all as both Harry and Kanoro knew that they would be expected to compete.

At least it would give them a chance to investigate the city and get the lay of the land so to speak.

* * *

Dressed in long cloaks both Harry and Kanoro snuck out into the city the following day, the bustle of the city was so great that no one even gave them a second glance, especially with the disillusion charm Harry applied.

Harry had half expected what they found but to say he was shocked at the state of things in the capital was putting it mildly. The number of starving, the crippled, the mad and generally unfortunate was beyond belief as they moved through the city streets. Orphans no older than three namedays fighting and even killing each other over a slice of bread, rivers of shit running down the centre of the streets.

How they could all live like this? Harry had no idea and Kanoro was equally disturbed by the sights around him. He had seen such things in the lowest of slave pens but not here, not in Westeros were men were supposed to be free and not in the capital city or so he had thought.

As they investigated deeper another element of the city's decay came to light, corruption.

The Gold Cloaks who supposedly were meant to enforce the law broke it so regularly that the city's people did not even seem surprised, taking coin and wares off people with no warning or reason and even dragging women off to rape them. The worst of them all was their leader Janos Slynt, they actually saw him taking a bribe from Petyr Baelish and half a dozen others around the city, usually criminals to avoid punishment. Not to mention the bruises, cuts and scars that covered Baelish's whores after a party of Gold Cloaks left. Kanoro was about ready to run the man through when Harry took a tight hold of his shoulder and said sharply.

"There are too many of them and even if we did kill them there are a thousand more to take his place. We cannot help the people of this city here and now."

Kanoro looked mutinous but saw the large number of gold cloaks around and despite his hatred of them for all he had seen becoming near overpowering he bowed to Harry's logic. That was not to say that Harry hadn't had the same thought, he wanted to kill all the gold cloaks there and then but all that would do is expose him and Kanoro.

Not able to stomach anymore they both made their way back to the Red Keep with half a mind to sail home and sod whatever offence it caused.

"How can the king or any decent man allow this to continue?" Kanoro asked as they walked, Robert however fat he had allowed himself to be did not seem so bad. Why would he allow this to happen to his people?

"The King only cares for his pleasures, the boons being a king brings." Harry said with disgust. "He lives in a well-furnished and stocked palace, why would he care what happens to those he rules? The Hand is too afraid of causing upset with the powerful people in the city and from there it is everyone else only looking out for themselves. No one with any power is either willing or able to do a thing or worst they take advantage of it like we just saw with Petyr Baelish, the Master of Coin no less." Harry explained with anger, trying to fight the corruption right here and now would get them nowhere. Two men against a city, it was hopeless but that was not something he was going to just accept permanently. His face became as unemotional as stone, he would clean this place up somehow.

They were nearly at the Red Keep when they came across a scene that gave them pause. Ser Allar Deem the right hand man of Commander Janos Slynt and a pack of his men were surrounding a group of terrified children, the hungry look in their eyes was enough warning of their disturbing intent. It was too much for Kanoro whose hand went to his sword and Harry feeling more disgust for towards the men than he had any other member of the City Watch so far was not far behind him, but they stopped when a voice shouted out.

"LEAVE THOSE CHILDREN ALONE!"

Everyone's heads to turned to see a man a few years older than Harry step out of the alley nearby, muscular, tall and wearing simple cotton clothes his dark hair cut short and his face clean. His voice was deep and did not falter despite being faced with fifteen vicious gold cloaks.

The Gold Cloaks laughed at the newcomer while the children looked at him with hope and comfort, obviously this man was known to them. The newcomer gave the children a comforting smile before his face became serious again and he drew a rough looking longsword, which only made the Gold Cloaks laugh louder thinking him no threat. That was a mistake three of them would not live to regret.

The man moved like lightning, faster than nearly even Harry or Kanoro's eyes could follow and slashed the throats of two of the Gold Cloaks open before impaling another through the gut. His technique was raw and more instinctual than trained but it was still impressive, the man obviously having a natural talent for swordplay but little formal training. But his killing of the three corrupt Gold Cloaks made the others stop laughing immediately and stared at the man in shock.

Allar Deem was the first to speak or rather yell.

"KILL HIM!"

Harry and Kanoro reacted immediately, drawing their own swords and rushing to the stranger's aid, who was hard pressed to defend himself against the dozen gold cloaks that attacked him. He was surprised of the assistance but glad of it given how many men were against him.

Harry and Kanoro with blades in hand cut a blood swathe through the incompetent gold cloaks, taking down five or so each with ease. Allar Deem seeing his men were outnumbered was about to run for Red Keep when he literally ran into a sword. The stranger looked at the gold cloak in surprise but it gradually became one of distain, all the bad things he had done to the common folk of Kings Landing simply because he could. He deserved to rot in the seven hells and it was long past time someone sent him.

He nearly forgotten the two hooded men who had cut down the rest of the gold cloaks with terrifying ease until one of them shouted to the other.

"Get him out of here, I will deal with the bodies. Go!"

The taller of the two hooded men pushed him forward with a very strong grip and asked him in a deep but smooth voice.

"Who are you and why did you save those children?"

"Because someone had too, no one else watches out for the needy in this city." The vigilante said with a determined look on his face. "And my name is Jasen Waters."

 **-x-**

Harry quickly transconfigured the bodies into bones and used cleaning spells to get rid of the blood before apparating away with the bones to as far from the city as he could and throwing them in the Blackwater Rush. Even when they turned back into bodies once his spell ended in an hour or so they would be carried out to sea. If they were found no one would be able to tie them to him or Kanoro so with that done he returned to Kings Landing and caught up with Kanoro and the vigilante.

"Harry this is Jasen Waters. He is trying to protect the good people here from the corrupt." Kanoro said once he saw Harry approach. Jasen looked surprised at how quickly Harry had reappeared, but Harry was wondering if they had found their man in Kings Landing. If they wanted any real power or information that was available here then they would need to construct a powerbase in the city and maybe Harry thought with a smile the man to run it into their lap.

"Jasen I can sympathise, the city is in an appalling state but you cannot do it alone, certainly not as you are now. I can arrange for you to get training in handling a sword. I can tell you have a natural talent but no formal training." Harry said simply, just in a matter of fact way that stung Jasen. He had always loved sword fighting, ever since he was a small child that could barely carry a stick and his mother had only smiled and said he got it from his father but never who he was, not even on the day she died just that he had been a light in a dark world and the most noble man she had ever met. He wanted to be a knight but being a lowborn bastard made that impossible, as a boy no knight was willing to let him squire for them and he had been forced to gain his skills from observation of tourneys and his own practice. Some formal training would be welcome he conceded and they had saved his life so they deserved at least some of his trust in return, so he followed them back to the Red Keep, nervous as he approached the castle that he had lived in the shadows of his entire life.

 **-x-**

They quickly got Jasen some armour to look the part of one of their guards before taking him to the Red Keep's training grounds. Men where sparring hard to get ready for the approaching tourney and no one would bat an eye at Harry and Kanoro training with one of their guards.

For hours things passed without incident, Jasen was quick to pick up technique and Harry could well see him becoming one of the best swordsmen in Westeros with time. However when Ser Barristan Selmy came to the training ground to start his series of exercises, designed to keep his skill with the blade up and came over to them hoping for an enjoyable he froze immediately at the sight of Jasen.

"Arthur!" Ser Barristan cried in shock and his skin turned as white as his hair, Harry and Kanoro looked between them confused and Jasen was shocked, not sure what to say in the face of this legendary knight who had apparently confused him for someone else.

"Ser Barristan, I am sorry to correct you but this is Jasen Waters. Kanoro and I encountered him in the city and offered him some proper training as a knight." Harry said wondering why Ser Barristan was looking at Jasen like he had seen a ghost. Ser Barristan far from being embarrassed explained his strange behaviour, a solitary tear running down his cheek.

"You are the spitting image of Ser Arthur Dayne, probably the greatest knight I have ever known. Your mother wasn't known as Mercia, a seamstress by any chance?" Barristan asked and Jasen looked shocked.

"She was, a lady of high integrity. Rather than sell herself, she spent many hours at the looms." Jasen said angrily, if anyone was going to call his mother a whore then he would take his sword and thrust it through their throat to stop any more foul words coming out, that impulse blocking out what Barristan had said about Arthur Dayne although Harry's mouth did briefly drop before reclosing quickly. Barristan however just kept smiling and told him.

"I thought so, Arthur always spoke highly of her. I had to go and fetch him several times when they met." Barristan said losing himself in memories of a more pleasant time in his life. "If he had not been Kingsguard when they met he would have married her regardless of what anyone else said, instead she became his paramour. Had he been around to learn of you, Arthur would have sent her to Starfall and you would have been raised there." Barristan said with conviction, knowing that was the least his former swornbrother would have done.

While Jasen tried to deal with the fact that the legendary Ser Arthur Dayne was his father and Kanoro did not understand the significance, Harry was astonished at the incredible find in front of him. The bastard son of Ser Arthur Dayne, who would have thought it. Then his plans to make Jasen his man in Kings Landing were stopped in their tracks.

"I am willing to show you how to properly wield a sword, to joust and all the other skills I know if you want to. I own your father that much." Ser Barristan said with a slight eagerness, his eyes brighter than they had been for a long time. Jasen was taken aback at the offer and looked briefly to Harry who nodded slightly, irritated slightly but perhaps he realised it was for the best. Jasen was too morally upright to play the city's politics as whoever he installed here would have to do, not to mention if he became Ser Barristan's apprentice it would give Jasen influence regardless of his status as a bastard. That Harry realised could be useful in the future.

* * *

Jaime Lannister was laying half naked in his sister's rooms that night, she had been furious when he had been defeated in front of so many people. He had been too at first until he realised the young Tyrell's words were very true, he had not much experience for his years as a knight and a lack of a rival other than Ser Barristan who refused to spar with him, there was no one else who could challenge him.

Some time away from the Red Keep and actual fighting might be just the thing to get him back to his best he thought with a sip of his wine. Cersei would not like it at all and would not allow him to go, hence why he would just not tell her until the hour or so before he left, if at all he thought with his custom smirk.

His earlier conversation with his younger brother Tyrion came into his mind, almost like an angel on his shoulder while Cersei was the demon. Jaime laughed at that, Cersei was not that bad he thought.

 _ **Flashback, earlier that day…**_

 _Jaime was brooding as he cleaned his sword, he was still smarting from his humiliating defeat in front of the whole court. He had not been beaten that easily since he was a boy and what was worst was the young Tyrell had been nice about it, even given advice on how he could improve. Presumptuous perhaps but it made it far harder to hate him than if Tyrell had been arrogant about it._

" _Brooding brother, I would have thought that suited a Stark more than you." A familiar voice said and a smile crept slowly across his face._

" _Hello little brother, our father allowed you to leave the Rock I see. To investigate the newest lord paramount I take it?" Jaime asked knowing their father well enough to guess his intentions. Tyrion merely looked bemused as he stood there._

" _Of course, after all according to father 'The Tyrells are our only true rivals in terms of resources' and now they control two kingdoms, one albeit a small island chain. It seems he worries their growing power would threaten our family's influence and for once I agree with him. This Tyrell is more like a Lannister in his willingness to get involved, more ready to upset things to achieve whatever aims he has." Tyrion explained pouring a glass of wine for himself and then one for Jaime who gratefully took it. That his father and brother actually agreed on something was a shock enough, but Tyrion was not done yet. "And given Loras Tyrell's 'nocturnal activities' with Renly Baratheon there is a good chance this Tyrell or his children will one day sit in Highgarden. Quite impressive really, I'd quite like a meeting with him. I hear he has quite the wine cellar and an extensive library." Tyrion said referring to two of his favourite activities._

 _Jaime was silent, not having considered the wider politic implications of the situation. The Tyrells never really committed to anything so they always had strength in reserve, the largest army and food basket in the Seven Kingdoms was theirs and a very large fleet too. Combined with this new branch and island chain it could well tip the balance of power in their favour and that would of course worry their lord father who worked hard for decades according to him to make the Lannister dynasty unrivalled in its strength and influence. Many other lords in particular Dorne which sat between the Reach and Stepstones were surely going to be nervous about how this might play out._

 _Jaime was silent for so long and lost in his own thoughts that Tyrion actually made him jump when he spoke next._

" _Are you going to take his advice?" Tyrion said, smirking a little wider when his older brother was shocked out of his stupor. "It would do you good to get some clean air and have a bit of fun away from our sister and the King for a while, something for yourself for once rather than her."_

 _Jaime was quiet for a moment as his thoughts turned back to the young Tyrell's suggestion, it did not take long for a smile to form on his own face._

" _Of course brother, it could be fun to hunt bandits rather than following the King around as he hunts or fucks some dumb animal."_

 _ **End Flashback…**_

He broke out of his memory when he saw the buxom form of his other half come into the room from behind a screen, teasing him with the exaggerated swing of her hips and how she crawled along the bed, like a lioness stalking her prey.

 **-x-**

Cersei was glad of the close contact with her twin after the events of today. The insult that ignorant and ridiculous rose had dealt her brother and House Lannister was too much to go unanswered, she thought and a sly grin appeared on her face as she thought on what she had in mind for them, the raven she had sent would make sure they learnt their place.

* * *

The next week pasted without incident, Harry had learnt as much as he could about the city and its inner workings, not to mention the secret alliances between the various players. It was ridiculously complicated and he honestly wondered how anyone could keep it all straight, such was the game of thrones, constantly changing factions of allies and enemies sometime both at the same time.

But one event Harry had been both anticipating and dreading was the arrival of his older brother Loras, whom Harry had not seen in nearly seven years. On his travels he had taken the time to think about his relationship with his brother and hoped that now they were older, things would improve between them. Hopefully Harry thought as he made his way through the corridors to Loras' room, his brother might have mellowed and so he hoped had he.

When he arrived at the chambers his brother had been given when he arrived a few hours ago, he was about to knock on the door when he heard moaning coming from inside. The type of moaning that came from pleasure rather than pain and for a moment Harry thought his brother had a woman with him and was about to leave them in peace when he heard a second voice moaning in pleasure too, a male voice.

Harry turned slowly around and as quietly as he could opened the door, while his brother having sex with another man did not bother him he had to know whether this was a casual affair or something more. The implications concerned not only him, his own children but the future of their house as well.

Peering through the crack in the door Harry saw his brother buggering another man, not a sight he wanted to see but thankfully it was over quickly and as the other man got up to kiss Loras with as much love and passion someone could have for another which Loras returned just as intensely. Harry did not really care if his brother loved another man or not, if they cared for each other what did it really matter but who it was that his brother loved gave him a start.

Renly Baratheon as naked as the day he was born embraced Loras as only true lovers could and Harry walked away, his mind reeling as he took in just what he had seen. Oh Loras why couldn't it have been anyone else? Harry thought with a headache.

He went to his grandmother's rooms, knowing she would still be up despite the lateness of the hour. If she did not know it was going on, he would eat _Orphanmaker_. He needed to know what she knew about all of this.

 **-x-**

He hammered on her door, the guards looking at him surprised when he approached but given he was a Tyrell and their lady's grandson they did not stop him. A voice emerged from the other side.

"If it is not word that White Walkers have returned then this had best be important." The familiar voice of his grandmother sounded before the door. It opened and she saw Harry standing there, surprise was the first thing on her face but his words brought a grim realisation.

"We need to talk grandmother, about Loras and his lover." Harry said and Olenna realised with a sinking heart that Harry had discovered his brother's not so secret relationship with the Lord of the Stormlands. She bid him inside and shut the door before sitting down.

"Tell me." Harry said as he stayed standing, he needed to know what was going on. Olenna sighed and told him the true state of affairs in Westeros.

"The King has amassed a debt of just over five million gold dragons, most of it owed to the Lannisters or the Iron Bank of Braavos. Loras and Renly are homosexuals and Renly is as lazy and ignorant of how things work as his eldest brother, yet he thinks himself nearly a king already. Stannis is brooding and bitter with only a scarred daughter as an heir. Petyr Baelish is having an affair with Lysa Arryn and could well be the father of her child, then there is the matter that the King himself has no trueborn children only bastards born when his queen fucked her brother." Olenna said and Harry's eyes grew slowly wider as he absorbed the words and realised their full weight and implications. He sank into a nearby chair.

Olenna smiled sadly, Harry and his children would be the sole salvation for House Tyrell if Margaery failed to have children of her own. Loras had tried with women whores but he could not even get it up in their presence and Renly was much the same, she wanted her granddaughter to be a queen but Stannis already had a wife and hated Tyrells with a vengeance, the plan to replace Cersei with Margaery had failed and she would really hate for her rose to have to marry the vicious Joffrey. Mace wanted to marry his daughter to Renly, ignoring his normal bedding partners something she could not seem to make him understand but what could she expect from her proud and idiotic son.

Ironically both Olenna and Harry realised, Rhaenys was actually the most stable choice for the throne these days if you overlooked her being a woman. Robert, a whoring drunk. Stannis, a too stern and unbending disciplinarian. Renly, a fanciful fool. Joffrey, a pampered and sick in the head bastard monster. Tommen, a boy who was far too soft to ever rule anything and like his brother a bastard. Lastly was Viserys Targaryen, the beggar king and just as much a madman as his father.

With choices like that, Westeros had no future except in a vicious civil war that could make every other fought since the Iron Throne's establishment look like a childish squabble.

But since Rhaenys would never even consider trying for it, where did that leave them? Both Harry and Olenna became worried for the future all of a sudden and more critically how to keep their family safe.

 **-x-**

While Harry was learning unpleasant truths from his grandmother, Varys was very unsettled by the news he had uncovered.

The good news was he had now found Rhaenys Targaryen and she was very much alive, however on the other hand she was now married to Harry Tyrell and expecting children of her own. His plans were increasingly put in danger by her presence, he loathe to have girl killed but if she was planning to make a play for the throne he might have too. He had decided that the pure Valyrian Targaryens were the best choice to get the Seven Kingdoms straightened out, the half Dornish dragon could upset that. Viserys was madman but he was exactly that, a man and the lords would rally behind him better than they would a woman. The Dance of Dragons was proof of that.

He would stay his hand for now, hopefully the girl would have the sense not to try for the throne and hope that nothing happened to Viserys. Their family connection could prove useful he reasoned, bringing the Reach and Dorne onside early, but that was dependant on both of them being alive.

* * *

The tourney started the next morning, it was not as grand as some other tourneys but it was enough to draw most of the best knights in the kingdoms. The melee had been pushed back for some reason and the first round of the lists were taking place first instead, as Harry had no interest in jousting he was content to sit this one out and let his brother shine.

While they had not yet had a chance to speak the looks of derision on Loras' face made Harry sigh, clearly his brother had not mellowed as he had hoped and was content to be more like their short-sighted father. Harry had nodded to him but Loras had turned his nose up and ignored him which did not impress Olenna and Harry was sure that she would be having words with her other grandson but Harry was just sad rather than angry.

Brothers and yet they might as well be strangers.

Watching the festivities however was not much of a distraction, Harry and Kanoro who sat with him were getting so bored that they were close to yawning but dared not in case of causing offense. They were men of action, preferred to be doing something instead of just watching two men on horseback trying to knock one of them off their horse, his grandmother likewise was extremely bored even with Loras competing.

It was a complete waste of time.

They watched a number of knights being knocked from their horses before it was finally Loras' turn, he looked very pretty they thought with derision in his pristine armour which had never seen action but were prepared to give him encouragement, then they were surprised and more than a little worried when they saw his opponent.

Ser Gregor Clegane stepped onto the field with his enormous warhorse, Harry and Olenna instantly paled when they saw who Loras had been put against but what confused Harry is why Loras had to fight the Mountain so soon. Usually these kind of matches came later when the weakest had been weeded out. Seven feet tall with muscles bigger than most men could dream of and combined with a sadistic and cruel nature, it was easy to see why Tywin Lannister liked him so much Harry thought with angry disgust. The man that had raped and murdered Rhaenys' mother but not before making sure she saw her own babe's head being smashed against a wall. He nearly shook with rage and was ready to end him with magic right there and then if his own discipline hadn't stopped him, Olenna gave him a sharp glare as a reminder not to do anything while Kanoro not knowing who the man was looked on curiously. Harry whispered to him.

"That is Ser Gregor Clegane, he brutally murdered and raped Elia Martell after making her watch her son Aegon's head being smashed against a wall." He avoided mentioning Rhaenys in case of whoever might be listening although the crowd seemed more interested in the joust than what they were saying, but still better to be safe than sorry.

Instantly Kanoro understood and sent his own hard glare at the man that they called the Mountain that Rides. He was close to Rhaenys and knew the pain she felt still over what this creature had done to her family.

The Royal Family looked on with interest at the early match up except for Cersei and Joffrey who were actually grinning expectantly which made Harry nervous, what had she done? He thought knowing full well she was vindictive and that Joffrey loved the sight of bloodshed from his time here, at his side the Hound Clegane's younger brother looked on with an expression of pity at Loras. That really got Harry worried, what had the Lannister Queen planned?

Harry looked back to Loras and noticed that he had suddenly changed his mount, instead of riding a stallion he was now riding a mare that Harry suspected was in heat. Clever Harry thought wondering when he brother had figured this out, it would make Clegane's warhorse very hard to handle but how would Gregor react if he lost? That was what worried Harry as he looked back to witness the match.

He did not have to wait long as the horn sounded and both men charged with their lances in hand, Clegane's horse acting up exactly as Harry had thought it would. It was fighting against his control all the way down the jousting ring until Loras was able with a well-aimed lance blow to knock Clegane off his horse.

Harry was able to clap politely as Loras pulled back his helm and did his victory lap but he then heard a furious voice shout.

"SWORD!"

Harry's eyes darted back to Gregor Clegane as a squire came running out onto the jousting field with a great sword in hand, Harry saw him draw it with a mounting sense of dread and then without any warning Ser Gregor cut down his own warhorse much to the horror of the crowd who saw it. But then just as Harry feared Gregor stormed towards Loras who was still waving at the crowd and did not see him coming as Harry and Olenna called out to warn him.

Loras turned just before Gregor struck, knocking him clear off his horse before slashing wildly as Loras who lost his shield as he fell and had no sword as this was a jousting match. Loras was in full armour and was near helpless as he fell from his horse, narrowly avoiding the sword and had to roll away as best he could. The king and many others were calling for Clegane to stop but Cersei was smirking as she took a sip of her wine and Joffrey was staring with the most bloodthirsty grin imaginable, hoping to see Loras gutted by the Mountain.

Harry did not even hesitate, he was not wearing his armour instead it was his normal leather outfit he had worn for his travels but he had his swords and both were in hand before he even entered the jousting field. He might have heard Olenna say something to him but he did not responded and instead shouted.

"GET AWAY FROM MY BROTHER RAPIST THUG!"

That got the Mountain's attention as Harry slashed across his arm, Clegane cried out in anger as he struck back with his other arm now this was injured. Harry dodged it easily and began using his greater speed to weave around Clegane who did an impressive job at keeping up but Harry had no intention of trying to take him head on, Clegane would win that contest with his greater strength.

So instead he darted in and out, making deep cuts in certain areas where Clegane's armour was weaker. The Mountain cried out as Harry kept moving around too fast for him to hit.

"JUST DIE YOU FUCKER!"

Harry had no intention of responding or fighting that way, he knew what he was going to do the split second he remembered what he had said to Kanoro at the start of the joust. This…creature had murdered a baby, maybe many babies and forced a mother to watch before raping her and then cutting her in two. He was no man…he was a monster, one that had hurt his wife.

He struck at the back of Clegane's legs, forcing the Mountain down onto his knees before whispering in his ear.

"For Elia and for Aegon."

Before anyone could stop him and before Harry even thought about what he was about to do, he slashed hard at Clegane's neck with all his strength, yelling as the head was separated from his shoulders and rolled away across the dusty field.

 **-x-**

The sight was greeted with complete silence as everyone took in what had just happened. Even the loud and verbose King was speechless at the sight of the Mountain's headless body, Harry was breathing fast and his adrenaline was so high that he just stared back at them for a moment before turning to his brother. He offered a hand to Loras who was looking up at his younger brother, shocked and not sure what to say but a nervous smile appeared and he took Harry's hand to pull himself to his feet.

Olenna and Kanoro were similarly silent but both were glad that Harry was alright, Renly Baratheon was smiling at them relieved that Loras was okay. Stannis was taken aback but looked at Harry with a slight new respect.

The rest of the Small Council was as silent as the King, many of the Kingsguard too.

But a shriek broke the quiet of the field.

"ARREST HIM! I WANT HIS HEAD ON A SPIKE!"

Everyone looked and realised it was the queen that had screamed that demand, her formerly beautiful face now contorted with anger and as red as the dress she was wearing…Harry could not help but think that if this was her true face then she was more ugly inside than he had imagined but regardless he tightened his grip on his swords, in case anyone tried to enact her orders but no one moved at first, not wanting to cross the man that had just killed the Mountain that Rides.

Then from the other end of the field Westerlands knights and a few others gathered and started moving towards him. Harry gritted his teeth, too many to fight he thought and started to plan his escape rather quickly.

But then Harry sensed movement around him and was ready to lash out with his swords until he saw the banners of those gathering around him.

Loras was the first, a sword in his hand now from gods know where and with him Reach Knights had their weapons drawn, facing the other knights and with them where the few Dornish knights that had participated, Knights from different Crownlands Houses and some from the Narrow Sea that were attending the tourney. They formed a shield around Harry and looked towards the other knights as if daring them to try something.

 **-x-**

Robert in a rare moment of intelligence realised that a small battle was about to start on the tourney field, one that could lead to an almighty war outside it if he did not stop it now.

"NO ONE WILL DO ANYTHING!" He shouted out, getting everyone's attention. "IT WAS SELF-DEFENSE, CLEGANE BROUGHT IT ON HIMSELF WHEN HE ATTACKED LORAS TYRELL IN A FIT OF TEMPER. THAT IS THE END OF THE MATTER!"

After all Robert reasoned, if they did put the boy on trial what then? All he had to do was demand a trial by combat and no one would fight against him. He had just killed the Mountain for fuck's sake!

His queen started screaming at him but he ignored her and left the field, cancelling festivities for today. His children and brothers followed although Cersei had to be dragged by her brother to her rooms until she cooled down, Jaime as he did so looked at Harry with begrudging respect while Ser Barristan and Jasen with a smile on their faces gave him a nod which he returned.

 **-x-**

Leading the Small Council as they followed the King and his family off the field Jon Arryn had honestly not believed a single week could do so much to undermine the peace he had fought so hard to maintain.

The Tyrells had always been an ambitious bunch he reasoned but never had they been this overt, taking over the Stepstones and then coming here and killing Tywin Lannister's favoured monster. He was going to be furious when he found out and demand reparations not to mention Harry Tyrell's head, but Robert had stopped that by declaring it was an act of self-defence and there would be no punishment.

How the in the Seven Hells was he going to calm things down now? The old man thought with his stomach twisting painfully in anxiety. Deciding to go and spend a few hours with his son while sending his wife away, hoping it would calm his troubled mind enough to think of a solution.

 **-x-**

Sandor Clegane meanwhile was following the annoying prick he guarded all day who was moaning and complaining about not seeing the Tyrell's blood spilt, gods he thought to himself with irritation, it might be worth his death if he just strangled the little fucker and got some peace at last.

However his mind suddenly caught up with the biggest event of this afternoon, his brother the murdering rapist that had killed their father, mother and sister along with countless other people was finally dead.

It sent a wave of euphoria through him that made him want to go to the nearest brothel and spent all his coin on the best whore in town just to celebrate or go buy a cask of Arbor Gold and down it in one. A part of him wished it could have been him that dealt the blow but the fact Gregor was dead and could no longer torment him was more than enough to nearly make him cry out and proclaim it to all that could hear.

He would have gone and offered his sword to the Tyrell if he had not remembered that Tywin Lannister would surely now be after their heads, he was not keen to get in the crossfire of that but if Tyrell could survive it might be worth the risk.

 **-x-**

"Harry! How could you do something so foolish!" Olenna said grasping him by the arm painfully. Harry was taken aback by how worried his grandmother looked. "A grandmother should never have to be scared to death that she is about to see both her grandsons killed."

Over her shoulder Kanoro was looking at him with exasperation, his expression was enough given how long that they had been friends for Harry to realise he was thinking him a trouble maker which Harry could only look sheepish at. He never went looking for trouble but it always seemed to find him, his own conscience was what consistently got him into trouble.

While he was thinking about that Loras looked over their grandmother's shoulder rather sheepishly, he had been avoiding Harry's gaze ever since Clegane had lost his head. He stepped forward and said with far less confidence than was usual while looking at his feet.

"Brother…Harry I…I don't know what to say. I didn't expect you would save me." Loras admitted, still not able to meet Harry's eyes. Harry felt bad for his brother, the experience had acted as a lesson in humility it seems and not one delivered lightly. It must be playing on his mind quite a bit.

"We are brothers Loras, I will have your back and I hope you will have mine in future." Harry said with a smile, Loras finally managed to look up and managed to say with certainty.

"I will brother. I will and so will father I promise you." Loras said extending his hand which Harry took immediately, shaking it as he hoped for a better kinship with his brother.

Olenna was smiling slightly as she looked on, glad to see her grandsons would for a while at least no longer be at odds.

A sharp knock at the door however killed the moment as they all turned to see one of their guards enter and look nervously to Olenna.

"I am sorry my lady but he was quite insistent he speak to you and your grandsons." All of their eyes narrowed as they heard the words.

"And who is he exactly?" Olenna asked with a sharp glare at her guard who seemed to wither under her gaze. The voice that was deep and intelligent which answered her question did not belong to him however.

"Lady Olenna, your guards seem unaccustomed to dealing with an insistent visitor of some standing, perhaps finding men with more resolve would be a benefit."

The source of the voice emerged from the still open door, a half man or dwarf some called him but his mind was considerably greater perhaps than even his father or any number of the more experienced game players. Harry had never met the man before but it was clear who he was from the moment they all saw him…Tyrion Lannister, Lord Tywin's youngest son and shame.

Harry took a moment to the imp as some called him and was taken aback by how sharp his eyes were, his height might be less that of a fully grown man and one of his eyes a different colour from the other but there was an underlying intelligence that honestly he was not sure he had seen matched by anyone else he had ever met with the exception of his grandmother. Those eyes now focused on him and Harry would never admit it but he found it a little unnerving.

"So you are the one that has managed to turn Essos on its head, built a kingdom and now spat in the face of House Lannister all within half a year. My you are accomplished." Tyrion said with a small smile. "While I dislike that you humiliated my brother in front of the court I have honestly not seen him so happy in years, he is taking your advice and going out to hunt bandits don't tell my sister though, she would never permit it if she knew." Tyrion said his smile widening as he talked. "My sister is hissing and spitting like an enraged house cat, I owe you thanks for that at least." Tyrion said before sipping his wine, his audience watching him carefully as he started talking again, revealing a useful piece of information in the process.

"My beloved sister's setting Ser Gregor on your brother with the intention of maiming him at the very least was typical of her own arrogance and short-sightedness. Still I would leave the city quickly before she tried again, an unstable Cersei is a violent Cersei." Tyrion warned them and all widened their eyes, now Harry thought to himself he understood why Loras had been put against Clegane so early the queen trying to have his brother either maimed or killed for the slight of him defeating her brother in a duel.

How petty was she? Harry asked himself it was just as well they were leaving, he had made more than a few enemies today. Aside from the Queen, chiefly the Lord Hand due to his threatening the peace but by far the most dangerous was Tywin Lannister, the man was a legend for his intellect and cruelty and one only had to hear the Rains of Castamere to know that. Killing Clegane had deprived him of his best terror weapon and he was sure to be furious. That was a big worry for Harry but he turned to Tyrion and said with a smile of his own.

"Thank you Lord Tyrion, I had not expected a warning of danger from a Lannister but I am grateful for it."

Tyrion smiled, it would irritate his father and sister more if the Tyrells got out of Kings Landing and back to their homes without retribution and that was all the more reason to do it in his mind, his smile widening. He might later visit Bloodstone to see exactly what the boy had built, to silence his curiosity.

 **-x-**

Harry and his family sneaked as quietly as they could out of the city that very night, Loras and Olenna would return to Highgarden by land with their guards while Harry and his men took the _Silence_ back to Bloodstone. Although Harry had one last thing to do before he left the city, he stole the Mountain's body and shrunk it down, intent on sending it to Dorne whose help would be appreciated in the coming months.

* * *

 _ **Bloodstone, one week later…**_

The _Silence_ docked at its home port and never had Harry been so glad to see Rhaenys and the rest of their inner circle so to speak, to be home where daggers did not wait in every dark corner. It honestly lifted a weight from Harry's shoulders.

He walked down the gangplank and Rhaenys came up to him with a smile which Harry returned.

Right up until the moment she slapped him.

Harry stumbled back, completely shocked at the sudden anger that now burned in front of him, the rest of the people watching all winced as they had been hearing her rant and rave all week since the news of what had happened in Kings Landing reached them.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING FIGHTING THE MOUNTAIN?!" Rhaenys screamed in Harry's face, so loud it was slightly deafening and while he managed to keep from wincing, not that he would ever admit it but right now he was a bit afraid of his wife who looked like a dragon as she breathed her fire on him.

"That monster was due a death and my brother's life was at stake, what else could I have done?" Harry said standing his ground. In a split second Rhaenys' expression changed to a beaming smile as she told him.

"And this is your reward."

She kissed him with all the passion she could muster, nearly knocking him off his feet as he responded wrapping his wife in his arms, careful given her now advanced pregnancy.

 **-x-**

They retired to the castle and locked themselves in Harry's solar where he activated privacy charms so they would not be overheard…you could never be too careful after all he thought and given the enemy that they had just made he felt it was justified. Harry looked at his inner circle; Rhaenys, Kanoro, Alys, Zara, Myria, Jothos, Alwyn and Caelys. Gunthor was currently at Horn Hill arranging his wedding to Talla Tarly but he would be needed in the times ahead, regardless time was precious so Harry pressed ahead.

"You all know what I have done, killed Ser Gregor Clegane and that has created a powerful enemy for us. Tywin Lannister…the richest, most cunning and deadly lord in all of Westeros, Robert himself is not as great a threat as he is. While we could hand over _Brightroar_ to ease tensions I doubt that would be the end of it, so from now on we will have to be especially on guard." Harry said as he leant against the door, they all looked unsettled at the news even Caelys and Kanoro who had rarely heard of the man knew if Harry was taking it seriously then it must be true.

"If that was the only issue, it would be simpler to solve but the Seven Kingdoms have not been this unstable since before the founding of the Iron Throne." Harry said with weariness coming in to his voice as he sat down in his chair and told them what he and Kanoro had discovered, that House Baratheon had no future (Robert and Renly having no trueborn children and Stannis having only a daughter scarred by greyscale that no man would touch), a debt owed so large it would be near impossible to pay back in a lifetime, the 'heirs' to the throne either weak or sadistic, Lannisters hoarding power, Jon Arryn's short-sightedness, Cersei and Jaime's incest and finally that Harry's own brother Loras was homosexual so either him or his children would likely have to take over Highgarden someday, which meant of course proving themselves to the Reach lords.

Everyone was shocked and disturbed at the situation that they had become embroiled in, Harry could not blame them as he became slightly depressed himself before pulling himself together and turning to Rhaenys, taking her hand and asking her.

"I know that you despise the Iron Throne and all that it represents but given all that you have heard, my love would you take it for the sake of everyone else in the Seven Kingdoms?" He asked his wife, perhaps the best option for a ruler out of all the candidates at present. She looked unsettled before shaking her head sadly.

"If only I could but they would never let me rule. The lords I mean." Rhaenys looked him in the eye. "I am Dornish looking and a woman, they did not like Baelor Breakspear and he was a man and everything you could want in a crown prince or future king. That I am a woman will only seal their decision."

"I am afraid I must agree." Jothos said with an apologetic look her way. "While she would make an excellent queen, the anti-dornish sentiment in the Reach, Stormlands and Crownlands would poison people against Princess Rhaenys. When Prince Aegon was born from her parents and had all the classic Valyrian traits people sighed in relief, worried he would look Dornish like his sister, no offense your grace." Jothos said with guilt but Rhaenys put a comforting hand on his shoulder to show she took no offense before they all turned back to Harry who was more serious but determined than they had ever seen him before.

"With the danger of Rhaenys being discovered a constant, the need to prepare ourselves for the war that is coming is even more imperative. One that could make Robert's Rebellion look like a minor skirmish." Harry said, now calm but focused on the job at hand. "A bigger army and navy is now a necessity, how we achieve this though?" Harry said fading off as he went through possibilities in his mind. The rest of the people in the room thought too, Alys bit her lip before offering her opinion.

"More soldiers will mean more mouths to feed so we will need more land to grow food. Where would we get the land or the men to fight and work it though?" She asked not sure where they could settle though as the islands had only so much room. Harry thought long and hard before remembering something.

"There is a ruined castle on the Reach's coast, originally meant to defend the west coast from the Iron Born. It would be a good sized castle once repaired and it has a decent amount of land which is currently in disarray, if in addition some more land was purchased from Houses Blackbar and Bulwer we could feed not only our lands but also give us a surplus to sell and store for winter. Especially with some of the potions and techniques I discovered in Chroyane. But that still leaves the problem of who is going to work the land, trying to settle people from Essos there would face a great problem. Outsiders from another country who do not worship their gods or speak the same language, which was a major reason I settled us here." Harry said knowing people from another country like Essos even if they were freed slaves would cause a riot amongst the locals…fear of the other he thought sadly. Most would just want to make a decent living and have peace and security, but the Westerosi would treat them with contempt at best, outright hatred and violence at worst. Like the muggles and muggleborn in his counterpart's world had suffered from the Purebloods.

"What about the poor of Kings Landing?" Kanoro said, remembering the starving masses he had seen in the city while they were there. "A chance to feed themselves and live in clean fresh air, surely that would be a big lure for many there."

Harry thought it was a really good idea even if he was concerned about the immigrants having no knowledge of farming and the possibility of spies being inserted into their lands, he was about to concur with his right hand man when Zara suddenly spoke up with a suggestion.

"If we are going to be recruiting in Kings Landing, then we will need a presence there which can provide up to date intelligence on the goings on in the city. And I have the way to do it…gambling dens." She said proudly. Everyone was silent for a moment before Alys asked incredulously.

"Gambling dens?"

"Of course." Zara said, either ignoring their scepticism or not missing it completely. "A place were men can win or lose big money in a variety of games with scantily clad girls to serve them drinks or distract them from how much they could be losing, especially if we lure them into accepting credit from the house and they end up owing us money. That is leverage we can use." Zara said proud of her plan although given the risk Harry was reluctant to try it. Zara would be very vulnerable in the capital and he knew already what a vindictive bitch Cersei was. Mercifully they were interrupted by Rhaenys with a suggestion of her own.

"Alys & Zara's children would have claim to their ancestral lands and Myria's child will be her heir after she becomes Lady of the Tor. If we expand and develop those lands it would give us a strong position on the mainland, especially if we remove Ronnet Connington so Alys and Zara can take over Griffin's Roost. Giving Robert a Valyrian steel sword should be payment enough for them to be legitimized." Rhaenys said and Harry although knowing it would take considerable effort nodded, it was a good plan that could give them strong positions in the Stormlands and Dorne. He could tell Alys and Zara were on board when Rhaenys suggested removing their brother, a vicious sneer appearing on their otherwise beautiful faces as they thought of all they would do to him after he sold them into slavery.

Jothos thankfully changed the subject after an uneasy glance at the two women.

"If war is inevitable then we will need a considerable war chest of our own, we need to make trade agreements and investments to generate coin. More alliances would also be a great benefit to our position."

"I sent Clegane's body to Dorne, hopefully that will create an opportunity there." Harry said and Jothos smiled, glad to see the end of that monster and that it gave them the chance of a strong ally.

"While that might not be enough to bring them immediately to our side, it will at least open the door." Jothos agreed while wondered where else they could look for money and friends that could be of aid to them. He then remembered his old squire Ser Boros Wallain, currently working as a master at arms in a low Crownlands castle. Smart as a whip and strong in will, if he still held onto his hope of making a house and castle of his own then he could make a useful ally. As a cousin of House Blackwood he would have no issue in buying some land in the Riverlands to call his own, Riverthorn, Durain's Forest and Port Maril were all in dire straits for one reason or another and no house oversaw them. With their help and people settled from Kings Landing, Boros could turn those lands into something great and on the other side they would have a strong and useful ally in the Riverlands. He would look into his old squire before presenting his idea to Harry and Rhaenys but it was to his mind promising.

"Leveraging Valyrian steel for favours would help." Caelys said suddenly and rather quietly breaking into the conversation. Everyone turned to her and she looked uncertainly at Rhaenys. "But if you want a weapon that can't be beaten, then you know what you have to do."

Rhaenys nodded at the healer's words, not trusting herself to speak as she considered what Caelys had told her and all of them knew just what the 'weapon' was.

Harry meanwhile was making a decision of his own, now that the Lannisters were publicly his enemy he would have be more ruthless if he intended for him and his family to survive. How else could he compete with a man like Tywin?

* * *

 _I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, please review and let me know what you think._

 _ **Next Chapter**_ _= Harry & Co begin to build their powerbase and a certain prince drops in for a visit._


	14. Chapter 14 Rising Power Part 1

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _Firstly, thank you all for your support and suggestions, some have given me ideas I would never have thought of._

 _The harpax was suggested to me as a weapon in Hadrian Lannister but I like the idea so much that I decided to add it here. Thanks guys!_

 _I have decided with this story to follow the TV rather than the books, so unless I have a good reason for using them don't expect many of the book characters here._

 **Chapter 14 - Rising Power Part 1**

 _ **Bloodstone, the Stepstones…**_

Harry was sitting at his desk as he looked through all the mounting pile of documents, his grandmother had accepted his purchase of The Ring and all of its lands and a ship carrying Lord Bulwer and Lord Blackbar would be arriving later this week to transfer some additional land to him in exchange for a few hundred gold dragons. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, knowing full well there must be some kind of problem if they were getting land so relatively cheap, it was good farm land after all.

But that was not the only project he had in development at the moment, Jothos, Myria, Alys and Zara were neck deep in their plans for expansion onto mainland Westeros. Until they had solid plans nothing was being put into motion although he had begun fortifying the islands with extra defences, while not expecting an invasion it did not hurt given their enemies to be prepared. Small squads of soldiers were being placed on his ships to secure them against pirates or whoever else tried to board them. The current name for them was marines and when they started training it would give his people an edge against pirates.

He was mercifully distracted from the many projects that he was working on when an urgent knocking came at the door, followed by Aeron's voice on the other side.

"Lord Tyrell! Your wife has just gone into labour."

Harry instantly moved with speed that would have shocked a professional sprinter and rushed down to the chambers he shared with Rhaenys, as he got closer he heard her screams of pain and he increased his speed before bursting into the room.

He would never forget the scene in front of him, regardless of how many years passed afterwards. His wife was dressed in a plain shift, her face twisted up with the pain of giving birth while Caelys and Daena worked to help her. She looked up at Harry while panting furiously and began to scream abuses at him that would have made a hardened sellsword cringe but Harry paid them no mind and went forward to sit at her side and took a strong hold of her hand and kissed her to stop her cursing.

"I am here my love and I will not let you go through this alone." Harry said when he stopped kissing her and tears started running down Rhaenys' face while her mouth trembled.

"Oh you bloody fool!" She said with a tremor and a small smile came onto her face.

Then the contractions started again and so did the longest two hours of both Harry's and Rhaenys' lives.

It was that long before the first was born, he came into the world with a loud yell. Caelys was quick to cut the cord and wrap him in a blanket and pass him to Harry before going back to helping Rhaenys deliver her second baby. Harry looked down at the babe in his arms and felt more unprepared than he had ever had for anything in his life, emerald green eyes with a slight ring of light purple around the pupil started back into his. The baby was confused for a moment and so was Harry having no idea what to do before his son cried out in joy and reached out his short arms towards him.

Harry managed to smile and carefully cuddled his son closer to him, which more by luck than judgement as his son snuggled into him.

His son, those words went around and around him mind…a child of his own blood. A tiny life that was connected to his by an elemental bond that even now was so strong he had never felt anything like it, he carefully stroked his son's cheek and the baby chirped happily before closing his eyes and going back to sleep. Harry could only smile as he held his child, so hypnotised that he nearly missed the entry of his daughter into the world twenty minutes later.

Reluctantly he handed his son back to Rhaenys while becoming just as hypnotised by the sight of the girl in her arms…a daughter…his daughter Harry thought proudly, knowing rather than deciding that she was going to be one of the greatest beauties in the Seven Kingdoms and he would be fighting off men with a stick when she grew into a young woman who he had no doubt would be as fierce and strong as her mother.

Speaking of his children's mother he could honestly say she had never looked so beautiful to him, her hair and face were flush and covered in sweat and she was only in a thin shift but as she looked down with a smile at their children, she was radiant. Harry lay next to her on the bed and put an arm around her, he kissed her forehead and told her.

"They are beautiful." Harry said breathlessly. Rhaenys unable to stop tears of happiness could only agree.

"They are angels." She said before asking him. "What should they be called?"

Harry knew the perfect name for their daughter already, looking down at the sleeping tiny girl in his wife's arms he stroked her cheek with his finger.

"Elinor, Elinor Tyrell."

There was a gentle tremor in his wife's mouth and eyes as they teared up even more, showed how touched she was that he wanted to name their daughter after her mother albeit with a slight alteration to the name so as to not arouse suspicions. Their eyes then turned to their son, Harry nodded to her to let her know since he had named their daughter she would name their son, Rhaenys was silent for a moment as she pondered what name to give to their son.

There were so many famous names, but somehow they did not seem right for her son. She would never name him after a Targaryen not because of her hatred of the house, it was not wanting an association that could make people realise the truth of her bloodline. There was no Tyrell or Martell name that she felt fit her son and it took quite a few minutes before she finally came up with one that she liked.

"Jasen that shall be your name." Rhaenys said as she kissed her son's brow then doing the same to her daughter while she was resting comfortability in her husband's arms.

 **-x-**

Like they had waited for their friend and leader to go first, the next three days kept Caelys and Daena busy as Alys, Zara and Myria went into labour one after the other. Garth the Greenhand's words proved true as none of them had just one child, instead they had twins or in the case of Myria triplets.

Alys and Zara were truly twins, going into labour on the same day although their labour was mercifully short delivering twins each, Alys had a son Alyn and a girl named Rhaenyra while Zara had twin girls Cassana and Sabryna.

Myria was not as lucky as her labour took hours and hours to end before she brought three children into the world, her eldest Trebor named for her father, Calla and then lastly Dyanna her daughters followed.

To become father to nine children over the course of a week made Harry nearly faint on the spot but he was there for every birth, comforting them throughout the experience and he renewed his vow to each and every one of them that they were going to be protected and provided for. The plans to build up their mother's families now took a greater priority in his mind. He doubted he could provide a castle for each of his children but he would ensure they all had something to secure their future, not to mention that none of them would be treated as bastards by the bloated and corrupt Faith of the Seven or their followers. Brynden was already turning one of the bars of Valyrian steel into a great sword with a cross guard shaped like antlers as a gift to Robert to ensure he signed the legitimization for Harry's children, that and a few barrels of rice wine.

Harry was therefore tired when Lords Bulwer and Blackbar finally arrived. The transaction was straightforward and Lord Bulwer did not even wait to join them for dinner before he left straight after the meeting with a smirk on his face. One that Harry did not like at all, so he turned to Lord Blackbar who was rather haggard and weary.

"Is there a reason for Lord Bulwer's mirth?" Harry's concerns only grew as Lord Blackbar sighed in resignation before explaining.

"The lands that you purchased are as you know in disarray, so much so that he believes there is no chance of you turning them around. That however is not the only thing." Lord Blackbar said with the shadows under his eyes suddenly seeming far larger than they had before. "Those lands and mine have been routinely pillaged by other Reach houses. Specifically Durwell, Conklyn and Appleton who steal nearly all my harvest for themselves leaving me without the coin to maintain my lands or garrison my castle and no doubt will do the same to you."

Harry suddenly felt a headache coming on, he could sense Blackbar was telling him the truth and wondered if his grandmother had left him unaware as some kind of test. Well Harry thought to himself he was not going to tolerate it, not by a long shot.

"Will you aid me in dealing with them?" Harry asked Lord Blackbar who looked surprised. "By the time I am through they will no longer be a threat and you could well expand your own lands a bit, worth the risk perhaps?" He added looking Lord Blackbar in the eye to get the reaction. Incredulous was the first thing, followed by denial it was possible, then curiosity about how he could achieve it and finally interest in being involved.

"I can only field about two hundred men, what can be done with that few?" Lord Blackbar asked wondering if outright conflict was what Harry had in mind, he only smiled before saying.

"Do not worry Lord Blackbar, there will be no need for fighting. Not with what I have in mind."

Lord Blackbar was disbelieving but given his house was on the verge of bankruptcy and had little left to lose he agreed to join Harry's cause.

Harry later wrote a letter to his grandmother, telling her of the birth of her greatgrandchildren. He did not bother to write to his own father…even after he had saved Loras it seems Mace wanted nothing to do with him. It saddened Harry that the man could think so little of his own family but just watch out father Harry thought with a smirk that was more devious than any he had worn before, you will see what I can do soon enough.

* * *

 _ **Casterly Rock, the Westerlands…**_

Tywin Lannister was sitting quietly in his solar, his mind neither angry nor prideful in anyway…merely practical.

So he honestly could look back on events and see just who was to blame for the situation he had found himself in, struggling to find the best solution.

Ser Gregor Clegane had been an instrument of his for many years, a useful one too. Men with his lack of conscience and sheer physical strength were hard to come by and he obeyed orders without question, the only one of his vassals that he could completely trust to kill on command like when he had ordered him to kill Rhaegar's children to gain favour with Robert Baratheon. The rape and killing of Elia Martell had pushed him to tighten his grip on the Mountain though, she was supposed to have been a hostage against Dorne but she had been killed with her children when Gregor was unable to control his lust.

That he was now dead was an insult to House Lannister but one he could not react too, Robert had declared Gregor's slaying as self-defence on the part of Lord Harry Tyrell on behalf of his older brother. Legally he could therefore do nothing, on the other hand any attempt to kill the Tyrell responsible would be too much of a risk. With the gold mines all but depleted his funds were suddenly limited, the Tyrells however had a renewable source of coin in their harvest and were now unknown to everyone the new richest house in Westeros. War with them, their numbers and coin would likely destroy him.

That realisation brought a cold fury to Tywin's mind, an insult had been dealt and he could do nothing. At best he could try and influence the king with all the coin he owed him, but to what end? From the Riverlands to Dorne people applauded the Tyrell's killing of Clegane, how many could flock to his banner then?

The boy had control of a large army and navy with lands of his own not to mention his own homeland would surely come to his aid, not to mention Dorne after he had delivered justice for Elia Martell's murder, none of which he had any influence over. Too many for the Lannisters to contend with as no other kingdom would fight for them, so as much as it angered Tywin the only thing he could do was watch and wait for a chance to make his displeasure known.

However it was not the Tyrell that truly angered him, or he would have pursued retribution more earnestly. He might have hated his dwarf of a second son for dragging the Lannister name into the muck and disappointing him time and time again, but he could not deny his investigation as to why Clegane had decided to try and kill Loras Tyrell in full view of Kings Landing had been in-depth and most revealing.

Cersei had put him up to it…after the Tyrell had defeated Jaime in a duel forced on them both by Robert Baratheon. If the Tyrell had belittled his son and House Lannister as a whole Tywin might have condoned some action against him, not to kill him but to humiliate Tyrell at least…but he hadn't. Instead he had shown humility and ever suggested to Tywin's eldest son that he should go out into the world and get more experience as a knight. Something Tywin was glad of, too often Jaime followed Cersei around like a lost cub, wasting his skills and talents in a way that was almost criminal. Now at last he was acting like a Lannister and doing something for himself, even if he could never legally inherit the position as Lord of the Rock Jaime had at least started to step out of his sister's shadow. And bring a small measure of pride to his father Tywin thought with a small sense of relief.

Jaime had gone to hunt bandits across Westeros and had even talked of going over to Essos to fight in the war there, while Tywin was not happy about the latter the former he approved of. It made a statement, House Lannister would not tolerate lawlessness and give his son a chance to show everyone that he was more than a glorified bodyguard who had killed his king, supposedly on his father's orders.

However Cersei Tywin thought with anger, needed to be punished for costing him his best weapon over such a small and insignificant slight and he knew just how to do it. Like Tyrion and even Jaime his daughter received an allowance from him per moon, often spent on dresses or wine. In fact she had even dared ask for more in recent years for reasons she would never disclose…well Tywin thought with a resolved look on his face let's see how she managed her affairs without any gold from him at all.

 **-x-**

 _ **Sunspear, Dorne…**_

There was cheering in the streets as Clegane's head and body where mounted on a spike and displayed for all to see, for so many years the people had dreamed of seeing this monster was dead and now here he was for all to see. Music echoed across the city and people were dancing in the streets as Elia Martell, who even after so many years was held in the highest esteem for her kindness and generosity to the people of her home country had finally be avenged.

In the Sandship, the castle of House Martell the mood was celebratory too. The Sand Snakes and their cousin Trystane Martell had danced with Ellaria Sand in the Water Gardens all day and night while Doran Martell had smiled properly for the first time in twenty years. He was contend to watch his family enjoy their first good news in years.

One member of the family however was not completely in the partying mood. When he had heard of the Mountain's demise no one had cheered louder than he, but not long after he had been fuming that it had not been him that dealt the killing blow. He had dreamed of slaughtering Clegane for years in a variety of painful, humiliating and degrading ways only to be cheated by someone who had no tie to Elia at all. Some young upstart that sounded in too many ways like himself hot-headed, disrespects authority, a warrior, a traveller and enjoys multiple bedding partners.

Yes, Prince Oberyn Martell was in two minds about the situation, glad his sister's killer was dead at long last but angry that it had not been him that did the deed.

Still he shared a toast with his elder brother, the best wine that they had in their cellar too he noted with appreciation as they sipped it. The smile on Doran's face was a rare sight indeed and that it was genuine made Oberyn feel a bit better, he might have hidden it well with all his quiet plotting but Doran hated the Lannisters and their pet monster as deeply as him but he had devoted himself to bringing about their downfall with his plans, something that would now be slightly easier with the Mountain dead.

"So brother." Doran said with a knowing look. "You have been quieter than I have seen you in all your years since Clegane perished, have you much on your mind?"

"He was mine to kill." Oberyn growled as his grip tightened on his cup, nearly enough to break it. "And the fact a Tyrell did it is only more of an insult." He referred of course to the long and difficult history that the Reach and Dorne shared as reluctant neighbours. War was the usual state of affairs and many had died which did not stop even after the Iron Throne was founded given all the Targaryen attempts to conquer Dorne, it had only slightly cooled after they had joined willingly joined with the marriage of Mariah Martell to Daeron the 2nd. Still they existed in a state of cold war with small fights breaking out now and again between patrols and scouts. The fact the Reach lords had not truly fought as hard for the Targaryens during Robert's Rebellion had soured relations dramatically and several Dornish lords and knights had taken to raiding the Reach's border settlements every now and again, something that the Martells chose to turn a blind eye too.

Still he had done them a favour, Oberyn thought with some respect for the young Tyrell that had travelled the world and then turned a bunch of pirate infested islands into a small kingdom of his own which was already showing signs of prosperity. And that he had done it to save his brother struck a chord with Oberyn, knowing the pain of losing a sibling all too well. How could he deny the Tyrell the right to defend his kin and save his family from the pain his had gone through?

"Then I will go and make our appreciation known to him." Oberyn said suddenly, like many of his ideas coming completely at random. He would like to see what the Tyrell had done with the Stepstones first hand and see if he was as good as everyone said he was. Much to Oberyn's surprise Doran nodded and said.

"Take some tokens of our appreciation with you then, someone like him would make a valuable ally for the day when the Targaryens return and we can take our vengeance." Doran said with his smile suddenly becoming calculating, which made Oberyn frown. He had no respect at all for the Beggar King as Viserys Targaryen was known now, he was as mad as his father who had treated his own wife/sister Rhaella, Elia and his own grandchildren with the greatest distain. Viserys would be dead before his thirtieth name day, probably due to his own stupidity.

Still the chance to go and see Bloodstone was something Oberyn could not pass up, it had been a few years since he had been somewhere new Oberyn thought with his customary smirk coming back to his face.

* * *

 _ **The Reach Coast, Late Night…**_

Harry had left half of his army to guard the islands under Kanoro's command while he took the rest to land near Bendallon, the seat of House Blackbar. While stone masons began work on the ruins of the Ring and his ships began the journey to Kings Landing to recruit people to settle here, Harry marshalled his troops and plotted their movements with Lord Blackbar. All three enemy houses were small and regarded as little more than thugs or thieves by other houses who did not care to intervene as long as it did not concern them. They targeted the Blackbars as they were a minor house with no real connections of note and therefore could not fight back. They were cowards when faced with a more powerful house, Harry thought with a smirk he had seen their like before and had done some investigating of his own beforehand to confirm his opinion.

"So your plan is to intimidate them into submission?" Lord Blackbar said with doubt clear in his voice, he honestly did not believe it was going to work. Harry gave him a reassuring smile and told him.

"None of those houses keep a proper standing army, just a few raiding parties and their halls and castles are not provisioned for a siege. I also brought collapsible siege engines invented by Maester Alwyn to tear their walls down if needs be, but even if they did try and fight us they would be outmatched."

That did little to convince Lord Blackbar of their plan's chances of success, but he was nonetheless intrigued at these new collapsible siege engines. Alwyn had made them in modular pieces that could be moved on carts and then assembled on site, kept secure by steel bars they could be put up by the engineers in a matter of hours. This could be an ideal opportunity to test them and Harry had no intention of playing fair a smirk showing on his face, not to mention he was planning to use his magic to cheat a little. All three of these houses were thieves and bandits, they treated no one with mercy so they would receive none in return.

 **-x-**

Their column marched through the pleasant landscape of the Reach, Harry's troops were amazed at all the greenery around them. They had never seen so much in all their lives, it was so idyllic that while Bloodstone and the islands were always home they would like dearly to spend some time here.

Harry himself was feeling strange as he looked around his former homeland, it was beautiful he thought with some nostalgia for his childhood days but it was quickly over. He had a home of his own now, a place he had chosen and made a place to live for not only himself but thousands of others, one where his and other children could grow up happy and safe. He was glad to have the life he did now and would not change it for anything, a smile broke out on his face at that thought.

They arrived at their first stop later that afternoon, the tiny holdfast of House Durwell. It was only a small stone hall with a wooden wall standing no more than twenty feet around it, their men could have surrounded several times over and still had many in reserve. The gates were shut immediately at the sight of them which nearly made Harry laugh, the engineers began to set up the siege engines and the moment the guards on the wall saw them they threw open the gates and dragged Lord Durwell and his three sons out by themselves less than an hour later.

Lord Blackbar was astonished at how little resistance the men put up, but then again Harry thought these were trapped bandits, not soldiers. Bandits ran away in the face of a superior force and they were completely surrounded by a force who looked like they were about to attack and kill them all, some might rather fight to the death than surrender and likely be executed or have their hands cut off but most would just throw down their weapons.

Harry's men quickly secured the small holdfast and all the prisoners, they would be offered a choice of death or the wall depending on whatever they had done. Right now he was looking down at the chained Lord Durwell who was glaring defiantly at him, Harry leaned casually against the tent's central pole and put a jug of water in front of Durwell who looked at it suspiciously.

"If I wanted to kill you, why would I bother with poison? I could just cut your head off with my sword." Harry said and Durwell wearily took a careful sip before a longer drink once he was sure it was safe. Harry then put a quill and parchment in front of him and said. "Write down every crime you or your men have committed. If there is none, then write that instead." Harry said and Durwell smirked, thinking Harry was a fool.

Only did he realise how much he underestimated the younger lord when he put quill to parchment and he could not stop himself writing in great detail, all of the laws he had broken, when and why he had done it and even his own sons' involvement. Harry had laced the water with a truth serum he had discovered in Chroyane, tasteless, colourless and potent. Then he had put a compulsion charm on the parchment, compelling him to write which combined together was enough to get a proper confession out of Durwell.

Once he was finished Harry scooped up the parchment and then stunned Durwell, blurring the memory so he could not really recall what had happened. The confession however as Harry held it in his hands would be enough to get Durwell, his sons and a good number of his men for their crimes and he and Lord Blackbar could assume control of his lands until the matter was settled.

 **-x-**

Half of them chose the Wall, a good hundred and fifty of them while the rest faced either the chopping block, hanging or losing a limb and once that was dealt with they moved on to the next, House Appleton which ruled the town of the same name.

Appleton was filled with poorly maintained orchards, hence the name and they did not even have to siege it as they caught the Lord riding to meet his mistress on the road, under pressure he had ordered his men to stand down and the town was theirs without even having to pretend to lift a sword. No one was left to inherit the town after they were finished, the lord had committed rape, murder, raiding his neighbours and even dared to claim the First Night if the bride was fair enough. He had no sons or daughters so when he lost his head the family line died with him, allowing Harry and Lord Blackbar to secure the town and its orchards for themselves.

After now two and a half weeks on the road they neared the last of their three targets, House Conklyn who appeared to have locked their gates at the first sight of them clearly having heard of their actions against Houses Durwell and Appleton. That did not bother Harry in the slightest as he reached up and stroked Orion's plumage, his blood hawk took flight sensing his human's thoughts, circling slowly around the small keep, one with a low stone wall this time but nothing that could not be overcome Harry thought with a sense of muted relief that this campaign was nearly over.

While his men settled down to siege the castle, Harry memorized what he could see of the layout. He had no patience for a long siege when it was not necessary and he was eager to get back to Rhaenys and the children, he was going to end this campaign tonight with an old trick he had used in Yi Ti.

Waiting till the dead of night when most of the men were asleep as were their rivals, Harry donned a dark hooded cloak and he apparated into a chamber he could see with Orion's eyes, an empty solar that belonged to the lord. Checking no one was around he cast a disillusion charm on himself and slowly made his way down the corridors.

The layout inside was much to his irritation somewhat confusing, where the bedrooms should be there were store rooms and passages often looped around. When he realised he was lost, Harry frowned in annoyance before he nearly smacked himself on the head, there was a much simpler way of finding the lord he thought with irritation aimed at himself.

So he pointed his ring ahead and used the point me charm to find Lord Conklyn. The light was dim at first but he followed it till he arrived at a large bedroom where Lord Conklyn was laying naked with a pair of whores and his large overweight frame was something that nearly made Harry want to wash his brain out, instead he stunned all three of them and after tying his target up with ropes and a blanket to save his men the sight of the obese man naked before side-apparating himself back outside the castle walls.

Harry dumped him near the camp before reviving him, vanishing the ropes and quickly drew his swords before calling out.

"GUARDS!"

His men ran at the sound of his voice and were astonished to find their lord holding a near naked man at sword point who was looking up in shock and surprise before he started quaking with fear at the sight of all the armed men around him with their weapons drawn. Harry looked down at him with a smirk before saying.

"It seems the Lord Conklyn went out for a midnight stroll and forgot his clothes, bind him." Harry said and the men were sniggering as they tied him up with ropes. The fat lord was so scared he did not even resist as they dragged him to the gates of his own castle, led by Harry who was handed a speaking trumpet by the half-dressed Lord Blackbar who had been roused by all the shouting. The lord of Bendallon had thought he had gotten used to all the odd happenings that had occurred on this campaign but finding the lord of Conklyn near naked on the edges of the camp was beyond belief.

Harry merely winked which made Lord Blackbar certain that he had something to do with it but was not sure how, Harry just kept smirking as he lifted the speaking trumpet towards the men o the wall and made sure they had seen their bond lord next to him.

"MEN OF CASTLE CONKLYN! HERE IS YOUR LORD, MY GUEST FOR NOW UNTIL I KNOW WHETHER OR NOT HE HAS BROKEN ANY LAWS. SURRENDER NOW OR I WILL USE MY RIGHTS AS A LORD TO RESTORE TO A CASTLE THAT IS HELD BY BANDITS. YOU HAVE ONE HOUR TO DECIDE." Harry said loudly into the speaking trumpet that amplified his voice so the men on the walls could hear it, he handed it back to Lord Blackbar before turning to the captain of his own troops.

"Wake the men, we attack in an hour." Harry instructed now completely stern and the captain went to rouse their men and Lord Blackbar grumbled as he went to get dressed and wake his own men.

 **-x-**

The attack of course was not needed, the men inside the castle quickly realised the game was up and surrendered less than half an hour after Harry delivered his ultimatum. They were not ready to die and many took whatever punishment offered as long as they got to live. Lord Conklyn however refused the Wall for his own crimes, confident that they would not execute him.

He thought wrong.

When he was led up to the block, he cried and even tried to run away had the men not held him firmly, Harry looked down on him without expression as he raised and then swung his sword down, severing the man's head at the neck. The other Reach Lords would no doubt be shocked at his actions, but he wanted them to know that he was no blundering fool like his father. If justice is called for then he would dish it out, he would not ignore a situation like this because he could not be bothered to interfere. Many would be wary of him…Harry knew that but they would take him seriously.

With all three Houses either extinct or heading to the Wall their lands had to be allocated between Harry and Lord Blackbar, so they stood around a table looking at the area.

"Given that Conklyn lands border my own and Appleton and Durwell lands border yours I suggest we allocate them on that basis." Harry said to Lord Blackbar who was actually smiling for the first time since Harry had met him. He shook his head slightly before saying with humour.

"I would never have believed it possible, but you resolved the situation in less than a moon cycle and have added more land to my house. You are true to your word." Lord Blackbar said with a toast of his cup. "My family and I are indebted to you and we stand by our friends."

Harry found himself smiling, his first ally on the mainland that he had made himself. Only a minor house but a firm and loyal one that he could count on, such things were worth their weight in gold Harry thought and raised a toast himself.

A messenger than entered with notification that the first of the people from Kings Landing would soon begin to arrive, farmers he had hired would instruct them on how to work the land with a few crop rotation techniques he had picked up on his own travels, meaning more food would be produced faster and repairs on The Ring were going well and would be finished within a couple of weeks so all he needed was a castellan to run it for him, someone from the Reach that the lords would respect and trust and if he had a noble bloodline and a powerful family behind him all the better not to mention a wife with a connection to another strong house.

Harry's smile widened as he had just the man.

 **-x-**

 _ **Bloodstone, Three Weeks later…**_

Harry had left after supervising the reconstruction of the Ring, before handing responsibility to Gunthor, it was a formidable stronghold he thought with large casement walls that encircled the castle inside hence the name. When it was finished it would be a great asset to him especially as it could command well over seven thousand men once they had all arrived over the coming months if he drew on all his levies. Combined with what they already had in the Stepstones it was a good start.

Harry was eagerly awaiting the sight of Bloodstone as he stared out from the ship's deck, he had left Gunthor in charge of The Ring as his castellan. Before leaving though he had finally had the chance to meet Gunthor's new wife Tally Tarly and he could see why his friend had been hooked from the moment they had met. Very pretty and with a large and generous heart, no artifice to her, no hidden greed or malice exactly the kind of woman that his friend had dreamt of marrying. Harry only hoped it worked out for them, there was too much misery in this world as it was.

When finally his home came into view Harry sighed in relief, it was good to be home he thought with some relief.

At the dockside he saw Rhaenys and Kanoro waiting for him along with the rest of her ladies. The children would doubtlessly be up at the castle given how young they were. As the planks were lowered Harry looked over the ships docked and noticed a strange ship that he had not seen before moored close by, it had blank sails and no flag but it was a war galley, not a large one but well-built and maintained with plenty oars and armaments. It had a dragon figurehead on the front which was the only clue as to who owned it.

"Have we any guests?" Harry asked as soon as he greeted his family and friends after disembarking from the _Silence_ , they all smirked before Zara finally told him.

"It is a gift from Lord Velaryon, in honour of your killing of the Mountain. It was apparently meant for the Targaryen Navy but was never finished before the Rebellion and now it's yours. That and everything else."

"Everything else?" Harry asked surprised, he knew the Mountain was hated of course but he had not expected to be rewarded by anyone for killing him. The opposite in fact given who Clegane had worked for, but apparently Lord Velaryon thought otherwise and Zara was hinting that there had been other 'gifts' from other people.

When they showed him the store room in Bloodstone castle that they had been using Harry was genuinely astonished, aside from the ship Lord Velaryon had sent other Targaryen Loyalists had given tributes of their own. Aside from the many letters of gratitude that they had received, there had been sacks of grain, fruits/vegetables for their cellar, some had donated gold or silver in small amounts but others had offered potential alliances or other things as gifts.

House Boggs had sent a herd of sheep, House Hardy a few cows, House Massey a new fishing trawler, House Sunglass a few ornate carvings of the Seven, House Celtigar some beautiful engraved plates, wood from House Ryger, House Grafton had given him three cargo ships and House Fossoway a few apple tree saplings and most others had sent barrels of wine, steel, wood, horses for their stables and a few hounds.

One gift sent by House Lonmouth however was held firmly in Rhaenys' hands, she stared at it like it was some great mystery that demanded to be solved. It was an old helm made of black steel, it was well made with a red dragon that had been carefully painted and decorated on the top. Clearly a Targaryen helm but given its age there was only one member of that House it could have belonged to…Rhaegar Targaryen, her father.

Harry knew the source of her fascination with it now, he sighed knowing it must be hard for her to have a piece of her long dead father in her hands however much she hated him. It had been a difficult road for her, to accept her Targaryen blood but she still could not forgive her father for what he had done to her mother. Nor her grandfather for all the things he had inflicted on them and holding them prisoner while the war raged, so great was his paranoia that he would be betrayed.

Harry walked over and put an arm around her shoulder, it shocked her slightly but seeing who it was made her relax. He tightened his hold and she leant into him, drawing comfort from him as she felt her anger and sorrow for all the loss she had endured in her life.

They stayed like that for a while until she broke the silence and told him.

"The amulets you requested have been finished and Alwyn and I have been studying the dragon lore you gave us, so what now?" Rhaenys asked, not sure how these amulets with a crystal in each one carefully cut to a diamond shape would help them hatch dragons. Harry turned her to face him and said softly.

"The amulets once I enchant them will allow us to bond with the dragon the moment it is born, Valyrian nobles did it before the rise of the professional dragon ranches when their children were born. The amulet creates a bond with the infant dragon that over a year becomes permanent, they share feelings and allows the rider to control their dragon without words, becoming more a companion than a beast. All that will remain to do is to choose the egg to use, my magic can create the type of fire we need to hatch them," Harry said not sure of why the Valyrians would have abandoned such a useful process, probably because it was easier to have someone else raise their dragons to be as big and as strong as possible. Many of the techniques used by the ranch like regular flight and exercise, a good diet & being able to live unconfined were useable and would ensure their dragons would be stronger than any dragon Westeros had seen since the early days of the Conquest or perhaps ever.

Harry then cast his eyes around the room and realised that the Targaryen loyalists could well be the allies that they needed…if they could be trusted, so told his wife of his new plan and a couple of ideas he had thought of during the campaign.

"If we are able to ally ourselves quietly with the Targaryen Loyalists that remain, that will give us a strong following. Any others we recruit would only make us stronger if we chose wisely, establishing ourselves as a money lender would be a possible means of introduction."

Rhaenys nodded, agreeing with the idea of getting her father's family former allies on their side and even making connections through loans to other houses as long as it did not drain them of gold, what unsettled her slightly was the idea of riding a dragon.

She let out a bitter laugh which startled Harry slightly although he did not reduce his hold on her, she told him with bitterness.

"And to think my father and grandfather would have given their souls to have a dragon and here I am, the Dornish daughter they both looked down on and ignored will achieve their greatest dream. They would never have believed it possible." Rhaenys finished with a glare at the helm, which was now laying discarded in the pile of other gifts.

Harry nodded in understanding and gently stroked her chin while he smiled.

"My love…they never knew what they had, always wanting more. You are wiser than they could ever have been and with a heart that is full…not hollow. Our children could not have a better mother or me a wife." Harry told her and tears came to her eyes from his words. Recently she had begun to sing the same lullabies to her children that her mother had to her and her brother, she was grateful to have her mother's voice so she could give her children the same experience of warmth and contentment that she had received from her own mother.

They stood there for a while, neither willing to move as they stayed in each other's arms taking a moment to simply enjoy the brief moment of peace. It only lasted a minute or so unfortunately as Alwyn came into the room with a model of something in his hands.

"My lord, I have a new weapon for the navy, I am naming it the harpax." He said proudly and Harry reluctantly broke away from his wife who glared at Alwyn for a moment.

"What does it do?" Harry asked with a sigh, he was always glad to have an advantage over their enemies but Alwyn really did have a bad sense of timing. Alwyn did not even notice as he explained.

"The harpax is a modified catapult, instead of bolts or boulders it fires a grapple that takes a firm grip on a ship by punching through the hull allowing it to be winched nearer to allow boarding. The iron grapple is too long for the crew to cut and can be fired over a long distance." Alwyn finished explaining with a grin of triumph and Harry was impressed, the existing naval weapons like the boarding ramp they used on the _Silence_ would be nothing compared to this and it would truly give his fleet at edge in future engagements. Nodding in approval Harry told him.

"By all means Alwyn proceed, I want them tested and installed on our warships as soon as possible. Excellent work my friend." Harry said and Alwyn went to make a full scale version to test when he suddenly remembered something rather important.

"Oh Lord Jordayne has just arrived in the company of Prince Oberyn Martell, they are waiting for you with Myria in the main hall."

"ALWYN!" Harry said suddenly tense as he learned that two very important visitors had arrived without him being informed. Lord Jordayne was expected and would hopefully make a strong ally, but this Harry knew with a headache brewing was not the way to make a first impression, not a good one. As the lord of the Stepstones it was expected that Harry welcome Lord Jordayne personally and now he had effectively slighted him by not doing so.

Worst however was the arrival of the Red Viper, Prince Oberyn Martell. He had wanted to make allies with Dorne hence sending Clegane's body to them but never had he expected that the Prince of Dorne would send his own brother here and now he had been slighted too because Harry was not there to greet him, the headache Harry felt started to get worst and he nearly groaned but controlled it. Looking down at his normal leather attire it was thankfully still presentable before he turned to face Rhaenys so they could walk in together.

Only to be shocked as his normally fierce and strong wife looking as if Death itself had dropped in for a visit, her skin was paler than normal and her eyes wide with fright.

"I can't meet him!" Rhaenys said with near panic in her voice, Harry was taken aback not sure what had her so nervous and out of character until he remembered that Oberyn was her uncle. He nearly smacked himself at his own stupidity, this was incredibly important to her but instead of happiness his wife seemed terrified that her uncle was here and before he could say a word Rhaenys fled the room as if someone was chasing her.

 **-x-**

Rhaenys had tears running down her face as she ran to hide somewhere, she couldn't face her uncle Oberyn…she just couldn't. How could she? Try to talk to him as a stranger when all she wanted to do in her heart was run and pull him into a hug, to hide her true identity from him and feel like she was betraying him, herself and her mother's memory.

The idea stabbed at her heart.

Hiding from him was no better but it would she hoped hurt less, so why when she thought about it did she feel devastated?

 **-x-**

Staring after his wife with worried eyes, Harry had no choice but to attend to his guests however much he wanted to go after her, he saw Calla coming up the corridor and told her to go and look after Rhaenys. She should not be alone when in this much distress Harry thought, genuinely concerned for her wellbeing.

Harry put on a calm expression as he arrived at the main hall and he was glad to see Lord Jordayne, a distinguished older man with silver grey hair and warm brown eyes as his grandson Trebor and his granddaughters Calla and Dyanna sat either in his lap or playing at his feet while Myria looked on with a smile, glad her father already adored his grandchildren.

But while Harry was as touched by the scene as Myria, his eyes went over to the couple sitting nearby. The woman was unknown to him although she was a Dornish beauty Harry admitted, long dark hair with tanned skin and an alluring figure but the man on whose lap she sat was famous enough that Harry knew who he was straight away. Dark hair and tanned skin with amused eyes and a spear just within reach. Even if he had not been wearing fine silks in the style of his homeland he would be recognised as Oberyn Martell…Rhaenys' uncle.

Harry's arrival was then noticed and all turned to face him. Oberyn got to his feet, gracefully depositing the woman to her feet at the side time. He walked over and Harry was slightly wary, knowing this man's dangerous reputation but took his hand when it was offered, sensing no hostile intent and in fact was taken aback by the lust inside the man for men and women alike. He had a great appetite for life Harry thought now smiling himself. Essentially a good man but was devious and slippery, Harry knew he would make a formidable and loyal ally or a reckless and deadly enemy but it seems although there was a little resentment underneath, Oberyn was grateful Harry had killed the Mountain.

"Prince Oberyn, Lord Jordayne welcome to Bloodstone. I apologize for not being there to greet you in person but issues had arisen in my absence that required immediate attention." Harry said giving both a welcoming nod. Lord Jordayne with his grandson, Harry's own son in his arms came over and said with a soft and warm voice.

"It is no trouble lad, seeing my first, second and third grandchild was more than enough for me." Myria and Harry both felt a sense of relief that Lord Jordayne loved his grandchildren even though they had just met him. Just as well that bastards were treated much better in Dorne than the rest of Westeros, not that they would be bastards much longer if Harry had his way.

"I agree, your ability with ladies seems to eclipse my own. Nine children within a year to four different women, I feel suddenly 'inadequate'." Oberyn said with a false sadness at the end while enjoying see Harry become slightly nervous at the mention of how many infants he had fathered, making a firm mental note to ensure next time that protection was in place.

The woman that had been sitting with Oberyn now came over and draped herself against him with the closeness and confidence of a long-time lover. Oberyn immediately put a possessive hand on her hip and introduced her.

"This is my paramour and mother to several of my daughters…Ellaria Sand." Oberyn said with a lustful grin in her direction which she returned. Harry nearly smirked at the closeness between them, Ellaria was Oberyn's soulmate and his wife in all but name their relationship had lasted longer than some marriages in either world.

"Greetings my lady, it is a pleasure to greet a woman of such beauty." Harry said to Ellaria and kissed her hand which seemed to amuse her but she did not comment. In fact both she and Oberyn looked at him with lustful grins which made him feel slightly uncomfortable although over his shoulder both Myria and her father smirked at him. Harry quickly decided to change the subject and turned to Lord Jordayne.

"My lord, it is my intention to seek legitimization for all of the children not born to my wife including Myria's. Although they will carry their mother's name rather than mine and therefore I have a business proposal for you, during my travels I encountered many things including very fine cotton and several spices unknown to the world at large. Dorne's climate would be perfect for growing and cultivating these new goods and would earn your house coin and therefore secure not only Myria but our children's future. Would this be of interest to you?"

His audience except for Myria was shocked, it had been her own idea to use some of the cotton plants and spices had discovered on his travels to expand and develop her own houses lands. They would be much sought after at home and abroad and mean his children would be secure. Lord Jordayne was quick to agree and eagerly shook Harry's hand but Oberyn and Ellaria looked at him strangely wondering what he was thinking.

"And how are you going to get seven children legitimized all at once? Just getting one is a rare occurrence." Oberyn asked him suddenly becoming serious in a split second, there was a duality to his nature Harry realised with some curiosity, sometimes humour and adventure driven living life to the full and other times focused, vicious and lethal in equal parts. Probably what made him so dangerous, you never knew what he would do next. Harry was about to explain when a knock at the door announced the arrival of Caelys and Brynden who both stopped when they realised what an important pair of guests they had unwittingly dropped in on.

They were about to retreat when Harry glad they were hear stepped forward and introduced them.

"Prince Oberyn, Lord Jordayne allow me to introduce two important members of our community here on Bloodstone. Caelys Baelerys, our chief healer and midwife, it was her that delivered your grandchildren." Harry said putting a hand on the nervous Caelys' shoulder. He noticed Oberyn and Ellaria giving her an appreciative once over before Harry turned to the other unexpected guest and then said with a smile. "And this is Brynden, the smith who makes the finest steel you will find anywhere. He is as much an artist as a metal worker, by the way did you finish the project I left for you before I went to the Reach?" Harry asked Brynden who handled the sudden attention better than Caelys did, bowed to their guests before speaking his lord and friend.

"Indeed I did my lord, here it is." Brynden then showed them the box he was carrying, opening it to reveal a magnificent great sword made of Valyrian steel. It was so dark that you could honestly call it black except for the hilt and cross guard had been coloured gold. The cross guard itself was intricately styled to look like a pair of antlers and in golden letters on the blade ' _Ours is the Fury'_ had been engraved. It was an incredible piece of work Harry thought, made from one of the bars he had acquired in Valyria and while he loathed to give one to Robert Baratheon it would get his children their proper names.

All his guests were impressed at the work, Brynden had surpassed himself. Lord Jordayne and Ellaria were too surprised to speak but Oberyn was inspecting the sword with interest.

"It looks freshly forged, where did you get the metal?" Oberyn asked, such weapons were rare and this had to be a customised job.

"I uncovered a stash of Valyrian steel weapons when I was travelling, this sword was made from one of them and another is being sent to Ser Barristan Selmy. This sword will I am sure be enough for my children to get their rightful names, don't you think?" Harry asked with a smirk of his own, leaking that he had a stash of Valyrian steel weapons would ensure many offers from the lords of Westeros who wanted a sword. Giving one to the most famous and respected knight in all of Westeros would get the rumours spreading quickly enough and a custom one to the King himself would ensure they stuck.

* * *

A feast was held later for their guests and it was late by the time everyone retired to their rooms, Rhaenys however who had not left her rooms all day was restless, unable to sleep as nightmares about her mother tormented her sleep so she got up and went to check on her children. They were much to her worry awake, too much activity had left them too anxious to go to sleep. They smiled at the sight of their mother which made Rhaenys smile too as she gently rubbed her thumb across their foreheads and they gripped her fingers. Her heart sang with so much joy that she felt she would burst, was this how you felt with me and Aegon mother? She asked with sadness, despondent that Elia would never know her grandchildren.

Seeing that her children had no intention of falling asleep and knowing they needed it, Rhaenys decided to sing them a lullaby that her mother had sung to her as a child.

"Sleep my baby, fear not for I am here.

I will guard you as you dream.

Let no fear trouble you, no bad dreams flow.

For I will love you all my days and nights forever more and sooth away your tears."

Rhaenys kept singing, losing herself in the memory of her mother lulling her to sleep with the same lullaby.

 **-x-**

Unknown to her, she was not the only one that could not sleep that night. Oberyn was staring up at the ceiling, fully awake and alert. There was something bothering him, did not know what it was but some secret was hidden here and finally frustration got the better of him and he got out of bed.

"Lover, it is late come back to bed." Ellaria said with a sleepy whisper, his movement having woken her. He however pulled on his clothes and told her, leaving Caelys who he had convinced to join them in bed to sleep.

"Lord Tyrell is hiding something, I can sense it. Come we must discover it." He told her, Ellaria only let out an irritated moan into the pillow before she slowly got out of bed still half asleep.

They crept quietly through the corridors with Ellaria slowly stumbling after her lover, Oberyn himself beginning to get frustrated. He did not know what he was looking for but there was something…off about this place he did not know what but he was determined to find out.

Then he heard a faint voice singing a lullaby, he listened intently and was able to make out some of the words. He was shocked when he recognised them for what they were…the same lullaby that his own mother had sung to him and Elia when they were small. It was a song passed down through generations and one he knew off by heart, having heard it many times, he had even sung it to his own girls when they were little.

He followed the sound to its source, one of the castle's nursery rooms. Guards were easily eluded with his many years of practice so he and Ellaria had gained entry to what appeared to be the private quarters of Lord Tyrell, specifically the nursery. Oberyn saw a dark haired young woman singing to babies in their cots, his breath caught in his throat. The voice was so familiar that it was almost like he was listening to a ghost, he accidently knocked the door causing it to swing slightly with a sudden squeak.

The young woman looked around and was shocked to see him there, he however was more stunned by her. The lines of her face and her stunning purple eyes, a thing as familiar to him as his own face and had been carved onto his mind years ago. Ellaria looked concerned between them, not understanding what was going on as Oberyn walked slowly and almost in a trance towards the young woman.

Rhaenys feeling increasingly nervous and was about to come out with any excuse she could think of, that or scream for the guards when Oberyn grabbed her into a tight hug.

"Rhaenys. How can this be?" Oberyn asked in a whisper with tears running down his face, he seen this girl as a babe and little girl with cute curly hair and even entertained her before the Rebellion. Even though she was child then, her mother's features shone through like a beacon to him, he would know her anywhere. He had dreamt for years of happier times and avenging them only here she was, in his arms alive and his niece was now a beautiful grown woman with a son and daughter of her own. It was like the gods themselves had answered his prayers.

"Uncle. I did not know you would recognise me." Rhaenys said as she hugged Oberyn back, tears running down her face as for the first time in years she had a member of her family here and now, one that she could touch and feel the warmth and security of his embrace. Her uncle held her tightly, not trusting the fates that they might just rip her from him.

Ellaria was staring wide-eyed at them, not able to believe her lover's niece long thought dead was here…alive. She was so shocked at this she did not notice Harry arriving at the door, woken by his wife's absence Harry saw Oberyn creeping in and immediately grabbed his swords only to relax when he saw what was going on. He saw his wife being hugged tightly by her uncle and knew everything was fine, he let them take comfort from each other for a while before he stepped into the nursery clearing his throat to get their attention. They all turned to look at him and with a quiet but serious voice he spoke to Oberyn.

"I see you have already met my wife Prince Oberyn, maybe to save the children their sleep we should continue this discussion in my solar."

* * *

There was a tense silence after that announcement, Oberyn looked ready to kill Harry with his bare hands at the mention he had married Rhaenys but a warning glare from her had stopped him.

They made their way to Harry's solar and sat on one of the comfortable couches before telling Oberyn and Ellaria the full story as best they knew it. The two listened intently and Oberyn looked ready to fly into a rage when he learned that Rhaenys had been discarded in favour of her inbred relatives except as a controllable alternative and would have done if Ellaria had not put a firm but comforting hand on his.

It took nearly an hour to tell the story but all were silent when they finished, not sure what else to say. Oberyn was a bit disappointed that his niece was not going to pursue the throne but fully understood and supported her reasons, her hatred of most Targaryens especially her father and grandfather being one that he agreed with most strongly. The thought of the pair of them made Oberyn nearly spit in anger but he contained himself, so happy was he to have his niece back…a part of his family thought lost forever.

"You must come to Dorne soon, Doran and your cousins will be so glad to finally meet you." Oberyn said smilingly widely at his niece, his daughters he knew would love her and Trystane & Doran would welcome her as family. Rhaenys smiled at that, she had always wanted to see her mother's homeland and finally meet the rest of her family.

"Dorne will always help you." Oberyn said with certainty, his country's spears would always be hers and if anyone should threaten his niece's or her children then he would lodge his own spear right down their throat.

Harry was inwardly relieved that the meeting with Oberyn, however unintentional it was had gone well although he was going to improve security in Bloodstone after the events of tonight. Dorne was now their ally, Oberyn would see to that and that gave them a great deal better positioning which was real benefit now. However they would still need to continue their plans for expansion into the Stormlands, Riverlands and Kings Landing as it would be dangerous to take anything for granted.

They still had much to do so, starting with the Stormlands.

* * *

 _Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, please review and let me know what you thought._

 _ **Next Chapter**_ _– Harry and his faction continue to build their powerbase and uncovers a disturbing weakness in the Reach._


	15. Chapter 15 Rising Power Part 2

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter and Game of Thrones._

 _Sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than normal but I am written out and the vote has caused me to make some revisions to the story which have been taking up my time._

 _Warning – Mentions of Masturbation and murder._

 **Chapter 15 - Rising Power Part 2**

 _ **Inn on the Rose Road, the Reach…**_

Renly Baratheon was enjoying himself immensely as he downed another cup of a new alcohol from the Far East, he was laughing as a fool performed and drinks flowed. He was on his way to Highgarden meet with Loras and his family to speak more of this plan to put him on the throne when his brother Robert died. Dreams of what could be his when he became king had made him eager to sleep to visit those images again and to wake so it would be closer to being reality.

He was more than a little drunk when he was invited into the back by the inn's owner where several of his wealthier guests had started playing cards. He did not recognise many of them but amongst the six or seven men at the table there was a single woman with a bigger pile than any of them, she was attractive Renly supposed with a slender but hourglass figure, larger than normal teats, reddish blonde hair and heart shaped face. Not his taste of course but he could see why men were all drooling at the sight of her, but her eyes were sharp and she appeared to be taking them for all they were worth but kept them placated by paying for their drinks.

"Perhaps my lord would ensure the game continues? I'm sure you would be a master at this game." The inn keeper said with a hopeful, pleading look. Renly was no card player but was full of drunken confidence so he laughed, drawing the attention of all the people around the table who looked at them expectantly, pulling out a chair for Renly who too it without a second thought.

"A new player gentlemen and lady." The silver haired Inn keeper said with joy as another order of drinks went out, his serving girl who was also silver haired came in balancing a tray precariously loaded with drinks. One, a fine Dornish Red was offered to him and Renly took it with a fool hardy ease that would have made his elder brother proud before he joined the game.

 _ **One hour later…**_

Most of the other players had abandoned the game, having run out of money although free board was given after all the coin the inn keeper had made from the drinks they had bought.

Now only Renly say opposite the woman.

He had been lucky in several rounds, winning a good sized pile of coin and valuables but his winnings were still smaller than his rival and he was more intoxicated than ever.

"You have good luck tonight my lord." The woman said with a charming smile, still perfectly sober herself.

"Aye I do, now…I…I want to raise the bet." Renly said with a drunken smile and pushed a large pile of coin into the middle. She looked at it without concern before saying.

"I too will raise by adding this to the pile." She pulled out a Valyrian steel sword from beneath the table, Renly was shocked as she added it to the pile. It was a rare sight in Westeros these days and he could just see people admiring him as he sat on the Iron Throne with that weapon in his hands and a golden crown on his head. He excitedly went to match the bet only to discover to his horror that he had nowhere near enough coin to match that sword. Valyrian steel swords could sell for upwards of ten thousand gold dragons and he had about half that, the woman looked on expectantly waiting for him to make his move only for Renly to feel crushed. The sword was so easily within reach, he could almost just reach over and touch it, his lips were salivating at how close he was to the sword.

He was about to throw in the towel, feeling angry and dejected when the serving girl whispered in his ear.

"My lord, surely you must have some piece of land or a ruined castle you could offer to equal the sword? You are a Lord Paramount after all." She then disappeared to bring him another drink, but her words stuck in his addled head. A useless ruined castle would surely be worth the sword he thought with glee, he had one in his ownership that would be perfect as it came with a fair bit of land. Feeling his confidence restored by 'his' great idea, he asked for a piece of parchment from the innkeeper before turning to his opponent.

"I bet Summerhall and all its lands." Renly said, hastily taking a piece of parchment that was offered to him by the inn keeper to scribble out a document of ownership and signed it with his own name before looking up to ask.

"Who are you?" He needed a name to put on the document as a show of good faith, he looked at his hand and it was a good one…a straight. He would not lose this but better not let her know that.

"Alys Connington." The woman told him with a smile, had he been more sober Renly would surely have not gone any further with the transaction having heard the woman's name but he did anyway, given her family's history. As for Summerhall although the castle had belonged to the crown even in its ruined state, Robert had wanted nothing to do with it given it was where Rhaegar his nemesis had been born. So as it was in the Stormlands it had come into Renly's possession, and now it would get him a Valyrian sword to show everyone Renly thought with excitement.

 **-x-**

"Honestly I had thought this would be difficult." Jothos said as he finally dropped the act of the kind and normal inn keeper. Harry who had been watching the show play out merely smiled, getting Renly drunk was not difficult, luring him into the game had not been hard either, Aeron (Jothos' son) and Brynden at the sides relaxed now that their parts as two of the gamblers was over. Daena was smirking as she played the part of the serving girl and encouraged Renly towards their end goal, Harry was impressed at her acting.

If she was not so set on being a warrior she would have made one hell of a spy.

The rest of gamblers had been actors hired to play their parts, the game had been rigged so only Alys and Renly were left. They had let him win a few rounds so he would be confident, adding alcohol into the mix made it certain.

Harry and the rest of his people smirked as Renly showed his straight only for Alys to show a royal flush, the best hand possible. Renly's face was a picture, none of them were cruel enough to laugh at how crestfallen he was but they did smile a bit as he finished signing the transfer of ownership. The sword was a basic one with little decoration but they would let him keep all his own money to stop him raising a fuss. They could afford to lose that gold as soon trade and other sources of income would be available.

Stage 1 was now complete, now for Stage 2.

The rebuilding of Summerhall and the destruction then rebirth of House Connington.

* * *

 _ **Summerhall, a month later…**_

Stone masons and other workers moved around the ruined castle to make it habitable, towns and villages within its jurisdiction had been made aware of their new lord or rather lady and been brought in line while furnishings were being made for the castle.

Alys was supervising the work and missing her children terribly, they were safely back on Bloodstone under her honorary sister Rhaenys' care but this was the first time she had been away from them since they were born since a tent was no place to raise a baby let alone two she thought. They would join her when the castle was finished.

Summerhall was more a marvellous house than a castle but still it had walls and defences, a must in times of war and would give her a large number troops to call on. There had been grumbles given her sex but a firm rod of justice on lawbreakers and establishing long forgotten order soon made them fall in line. The coin the construction workers brought to the local economy helped make the bitter pill easier to swallow and the reopening of abandoned marble and coal mines closed since Summerhall was burnt down helped too, not to mention the horse ranch they were building to breed the best warhorses.

She had heard nothing from her brother, much to her relief although as word of her rebuilding Summerhall spread that was sure to change. A sinister grin came to her face, after all he had put her and her sister through Alys would love nothing more than to see him crushed.

 **-x-**

 _ **Stonehelm, the same time…**_

Harry meanwhile was making his own contribution to the Stormlands operation aside from paying for the reconstruction of course he thought but given it was his son that would one day rule that castle, it was worth it in his mind.

There were other problems other than getting the smallfolk in line though, many lords were affronted at the thought of a woman ruling a castle without a husband to rule in her stead. Harry had already arranged for several particular 'noisy' septons to be caught in positions that would destroy their credibility but to ensure Alys had a strong ally in the Stormlands, Harry was now sitting across from Lord Gulian Swann. The lord of the strongest house in the Stormlands after the Baratheon's, proud and powerful they had ruled their lands for a long time and had slowly increased their influence over the centuries so that today few would even dare to consider going up against them.

Another reason for their longevity was their caution, unlike his own family though the Swanns would commit to a cause when they had judged it to be the most effective and secure path available, so now it was Harry's job to convince the Swanns to ally themselves with Alys.

Lord Gulian was a white haired old man with a stern and unmoving face, set in a mask of indifference. Harry outlined his concerns regarding Renly and the future of House Baratheon while Lord Swann listened quietly, when he had finished Lord Swann looked at him questioningly and asked.

"You say that House Baratheon is doomed? Well that is hardly a secret Lord Tyrell but I have to ask what do you expect me to do about it?"

Harry would have thought the man was slow in the head had he not seen the sharp glint of his eyes, he had known all of what Harry had told him or at least suspected it already. He was waiting to see what Harry wanted and concealing his true intentions until he knew what Harry's were. So Harry nodded and cut straight to the point of the matter.

"When the end for House Baratheon comes there is going to be a vacuum of power, there are no clear heirs and civil war would surely rage across the Stormlands to determine just who will take the position of Lord Paramount. With each house fighting for themselves it would be a truly bloody spectacle until one family ascends clear above the rest, even your family would bleed heavily in this conflict. So a strong ally would be useful in the coming war, especially as at present you have no connections to other houses. Alys will once her lands are properly established have a strong army of her own, joined with yours it could win you Storm's End." Harry impressed and he was not lying, Alys had no interest in the position of Lord Paramount and would support Lord Swann should he decide to make a bid for the position.

Lord Swann himself was in two minds, while he like many Stormlords hated the Reach and its noble houses for raiding their lands in the Rebellion that had won Robert his crown and before that many centuries of bloodshed he did not let his hate blind him. The relationship between Loras Tyrell and Lord Renly was easily the worst kept secret in Westeros and while both Robert and Stannis had children, none of which would truly be able to keep House Baratheon going, Joffrey was heir to the throne and a monster in human form that would probably meet his end before his twentieth nameday, Tommen although young at the moment gave the appearance of being far too gentle to ever control the marshal culture of the Stormlands, Myrcella was a girl and like her brother at present did not show the strength required and finally Shireen who was cursed with greyscale scars so bad no man would touch her for fear of being struck with the disease hence it would be a miracle if she ever had children of her own.

Having a strong ally would be a good thing indeed the old lord thought, while it would be years yet it would be best to strengthen their position now and prepare.

 **-x-**

Harry could read in his surface thoughts that Lord Swann was deeply considering the offer and Harry could only hope the man decided to accept, the less intervention he had personally in the Stormlands, the better. If he publically supported Alys then Stormlords would dismiss her as a Tyrell stooge at best, hate her and work against her at worst. House Connington had a tarnished reputation due to them fighting for the Targaryens in the last war and other houses looked down on them for this, being supported by a Tyrell would only make things worse.

He had enough to keep him busy with away from the Stormlands any way; he had sent messages to the Whitehelms and the Tourmaline Brotherhood with an offer to use the Stepstones as a base/safe haven for their operations, storing their goods and letting their ships operate from the islands rather than having to transport goods all the way from Braavos and Qarth respectively. Another message had been sent to Jhala offering to trade, after all they had deep iron mines and the Summer Isles had none.

Both deals would generate a good amount of coin for him and his family and gain him strong potential allies in the future Harry thought, hopefully his offers would be accepted after all it helped them as much as him.

* * *

 _ **The Red Keep, Kings Landing…**_

Robert Baratheon was grinning like a madman as he lifted the great sword Harry Tyrell had sent him aloft for the entire court to see, a gasp went around the hall as the courtiers all marvelled at the elaborate workmanship and distinctive ripples in the metal. Many had never seen a Valyrian steel sword in their entire lives and this one was magnificent.

Likewise the sword received by Ser Barristan Selmy might have been smaller but no less impressive, its hilt and cross guard had been coloured gold and styled to look like a charging horse. In the centre of the hilt just above the leather grip was a sapphire and inscribed on the dark coloured blade was the word 'Bold' in gold letters.

Robert while wishing somewhat that it was a war hammer was still delighted by the gift and decided immediately to call his new sword _Dragon's Bane_ and signed the documents to legitimize the young rose's bastards, laughing all the way feeling a kindred spirit in the Tyrell. Ser Barristan and his new squire Jasen Waters were not sure what to name this sword yet but nevertheless both admired its quality.

Word of the new swords were spread on the ravens and word of mouth just like Harry had hoped, that he could give anyone a stylised Valyrian steel weapon and many letters were sent to Bloodstone immediately requesting a sword.

 **-x-**

In the more upscale areas of Kings Landing meanwhile Zara had secretly bought a series of buildings to establish her gambling dens, using the recently purchased Jade Spring as a base. A brothel but the largest in Kings Landing and one of the few not owned by Petyr Baelish, she was careful to not tread on any toes, they did not want anyone to know their intentions yet.

A scream from downstairs made her quickly move from her desk and rush to a position where she could see.

And what she saw was appalling.

Janos Slynt, his crony Allar Deem and a pack of their men who looked more like wild dogs then law men were smashing up the place. Her girls cowered as the men laughed at their terror which made Zara nearly steam with rage.

"Next time pay protection or sell to Baelish, if not then we will be back." Slynt said with a cruel laugh that was echoed by his men.

Zara's eyes narrowed as she watched them leave, committing their faces to memory and swearing in her mind that she would make them pay and Baelish too if she could manage it.

But for certain none of Janos Slynt and his thugs would live beyond a month.

* * *

 _ **Summerhall, the Stormlands…**_

Alys was supervising the training of her special cavalry, the horse archers while stone masons finished the repairs to Summerhall making her smile at how efficient the men had been, clearing away the debris and then restoring the rest of the castle. In a couple of more weeks it would be ready and already flying from the towers was the banner she had chosen for her new house, a red lightning bolt striking across a white background. Plain but respectable she thought, no words yet though none had really appealed to her.

Her good mood however was spoiled as a messenger arrived bearing a letter with the twin griffin seal of House Connington, knowing full well it could only be from her brother. The same brother that had sold her and her sister into slavery to pay off his debts, she had learned their absence had been explained by them being taken by pirates on their way to negotiate a loan from the Iron Bank and had the world been more surreal, steam might have come from her ears to show her anger.

Instead she frowned and with a glare dismissed the messenger before opening the letter only to visibly snarl at its contents, the bastard had no decency at all she fumed. He was demanding control of Summerhall and all of its lands as head of 'their' house, he completely ignored what he had done to them, the years of misery and captivity they had suffered and even threatened to take their lands by force with the aid of House Trant who he claimed were his allies and arranged for her to marry Lord Trant when they arrived.

She wanted to scream in anger at the situation, her asshole of a brother who cared for nothing but his own comfort and security was now trying to steal the lands and titles that she and those closest to her had worked so hard to gain and improve. Worst he had the gall to buddy up House Trant, a family with a reputation for torturing their prisoners and spouses and taking their sweet time in executing people so they suffered long before they were allowed to died. No other house in the Stormlands would have anything to do with them but they were powerful with a strong army.

She could raise if she drew on all her levies maybe half of theirs she thought with despair to say nothing of quality as she had not enough proper weapons or armour, Alys sat down on a chair with her head in her hands. Worse Harry could not help her because as a Tyrell it would only enflame others to her brother and the Trant's side, her own fate was no less troubling being a wife to a Trant was a fate that could be worse than death and what could happen to her children she thought with fear. She knew she could run but that would only make her brother more powerful, let him win and that she thought with dogged determination was not going to happen.

She would seek allies and hopefully get Renly Baratheon to step in but whether or not that would work she could only guess at.

* * *

 _ **The Red Keep, Kings Landing…**_

Cersei Lannister was nearly steaming with rage as she threw the letter from her father into the fire.

Was she the only real Lannister left anymore? She raged, scaring her pathetic maids who fled the room in terror. The only one that actually considered the Lannister name and ensuring its reputation remained intact?

Apparently yes she thought with derision as her father and both her brothers did not.

Her twin, sex toy perhaps was now having the time of his life, hunting pathetic thugs across the country instead of being here when she commanded him. He sent her letters but refused her every order to return. Lancel was a pale imitation of her brother and nowhere near as useful in bed, some nights she had needed her own fingers to finish.

It was Tyrion's fault she thought, screaming as she threw a glass against the wall feeling a slight bit of pleasure as the crystal shattered. The little monster had turned Jaime against her! Just like he had done her father!

It had to be that she thought with rage, his cutting her off from her birth right…their gold made no sense otherwise. All she had done was try and ensure no other house dared think they could slight their house without consequences, the Mountain's death was the fault of the stupid Tyrell not her.

But the loss of that gold had stripped her of most of her power, what she truly treasured most. Without it she had to rely on the meagre allowance she got from Robert, it was only enough to keep her in dresses and wine but no more. She could not afford her own spies and half of them and her supposed allies at court had deserted her already, the thought of it was enough to make her start screaming in anger.

Cursing the Tyrells, cursing her father, cursing Jaime and more than anyone else cursing Tyrion!

That she was responsible for her own situation did not even cross her mind, how could it when she to her mind had done nothing wrong.

Likewise it did not occur to her just why half of her spies were still taking orders from her, many had taken offers from her rivals at court and now passed them information on just what the queen was doing at any given moment.

* * *

 _ **A few days later, the Stormlands…**_

Alys wore her own version of battle armour, her bow and arrow in hand as she waited for the battle to start. Around her were the two thousand men she had managed to rally at such short notice, while across the field a force of four and a half thousand faced them. She gritted her teeth as she saw the force against them, not sure if there was anything she could do to stop it but although the enemy force was larger than hers it was mostly light infantry. Seeing the Connington's twin griffins alongside the handing man of House Trant made her snarl at the enemy, her brother visible at Lord Trant's side.

Worst was that Renly the Fanciful fool had ignored her calls for intervention, not even bothered to answer her ravens. None of the other Stormlords would either, thinking her a weak and feeble woman that did not deserve saving after she had ideas above her station, believing her brother's lies like fools. It was however a great relief that no other houses had sided against her, not wanting to be associated with House Trant she supposed.

The enemy cavalry was small though which was a point in her favour she thought, pulling her helm on. The horse archers lined up behind her, all dressed in the same cotton outfits as her. It was an innovation she had discovered in Essos, two layers of cotton with a layer of unprocessed cotton in-between. Surprising it was strong enough to stop an arrow and really light which meant her horse archers could ride faster horses without needed heavy steel armour, they never needed it as the enemy never got close enough to be a threat and the outfit stopped other archers from taking them out. Just for safety though they wore a leather vest for an extra layer of protection.

The enemy appeared cocky, not even reacting to the presence of the horse archers which Alys thought grimly was going to cost them. She only wished that she had been given more time to prepare, her infantry had the barest equipment and some had no proper weapons except whatever they had managed to scrape together, shovels, picks and so on it made a wince come to Alys' face as she thought about how unprepared most of her fighters were there just had not been enough time she thought with anger.

"Horse archers attack their cavalry." Alys ordered turning her thoughts from things she could not change and on to the battle and started her horse forward at a run, followed by her men. Their horses thundered across the field and readied their bows and then notched their arrows, the much heavier Trant cavalry began its own charge but her faster horses enabled her men to stay ahead so they let loose their arrows.

Men wearing heavy armour could do little as they were pelted with arrows, some finding a killing blow or causing the men to fall from their horses but it did nothing to stop them charging, nor their infantry which began to move towards hers but too many arrows were wasted as her archers while highly trained were inexperienced.

Her infantry likewise did as they were taught and put up a shield wall to defend themselves and fiercely held their ground but the overwhelming weight of Trant infantry started to tell as her men were pushed back and causalities mounted, their poor arms little use against the proper swords and spears of House Trant.

Worst she felt how few arrows she had in her quiver, she suddenly cursed having no more time to make more but vowed to make every shot count.

Then just as she was about to launch her last arrow, there was a loud horn and she along with many others looked over to the hill that it had come from.

Heavy horse and infantry came charging down the hill, all wearing the white and black swans of House Swann and for a second Alys' heart sank with despair honestly believing it was the end. She reached subconsciously for the portkey Harry had given her that would take her straight back to Bloodstone. Zara and Myria had one each too but she would rather be thought a coward then be made to marry Trant by her arsehole of a brother when suddenly the Swann heavy infantry and cavalry charged not at her lines but at the Trant's exposed rear.

Her heart then soared as the unprepared Trant's and the few men her brother Ronnet commanded were cut down without mercy caught completely by surprise by the unexpected attack, a small tear ran down her face as she smiled at the rescue especially as the better equipped Swann archers started picking off the cavalry that was chasing her and her horse archers.

Lord Swann came riding up to her with his sons and a man dressed in plain but strong armour, he might have been covered from head to foot but his green eyes were recognisable immediately. She smiled and whispered.

"Thank you Harry."

Lord Swann however stole her attention.

"Lady Connington, I hope you are well. We had hoped to arrive before the battle started." The well-respected older lord was sincere in his words she hoped and his intervention could not have been more welcome.

"Lord Swann, I honestly have nothing but gratitude for you and your family. Rest assured I am quite well." Alys said with a smile which made both of his sons go slightly weak at the knees although she had no interest in either of them. Whatever else might have been said was cut off when Lord Trant and her brother were dragged over, their once pristine armour now covered in mud. Both glared at her but she just froze them with a vicious grin that unsettled all the men present except Harry who grinned along with her.

"They will admit to their crimes, after their executions lands will be distributed between ourselves if that is agreeable with you Lord Swann." Alys said with confidence surprising, when questioning looks were sent her way she said. "Lord Renly Baratheon should have mediated this issue, he didn't and in fact did nothing at all. He will want this situation to go away rather than us making a loud noise about it and spoils his image, he will accept our control or he loses respect."

Lord Swann was slightly doubtful but given how much of an idiot the Lord of Storm's End was he could hardly disagree. Unfortunately Ronnet Connington had to open his big mouth.

"If you think you will ever rule Griffin's Roost then you are delusional whore!" He said spitting at her with a sneer. Alys' expression turned completely calm while Harry in his heavy armour looked ready to go over there and cut his tongue out.

"You really are vermin." Alys addressed her brother like she would a stain on a window or gown. "You sell me and Zara into slavery to pay off your debts and then have the nerve to try and steal the lands I have built up and made something. If you think your death is going to be quick or that you are going to the Wall think again…brother! You are going to admit everything you did and then you are going to know the true meaning of pain and be broken into absolutely nothing before I grant you the mercy of death."

A shiver ran down all of their backs at her words and a look of disgust on the faces of House Swann towards Ronnet who suddenly looked afraid of his younger sister.

* * *

 _ **Bloodstone, two weeks later…**_

Harry was looking down at the map of Westeros in his solar before he went to bed, things had finally settled down in the Stormlands and as Alys had predicted Renly had hushed the incident up to keep his reputation intact. Griffin's Roost and its meagre lands and a third of Trant lands had been added to Alys' holdings. The other two thirds now belonged to House Swann, who had more than enough force to keep their new lands in line. Ronnet had admitted to his crime once they had used the same trick that he himself had used against Lord Durwell, an enchanted quill and parchment with truth potion. Officially he was to be executed for selling his sisters into slavery, breaking one of the greatest laws of this country but Alys was taking her sweet time in getting around to it. Every two days she would use a new type of torture on him, according to her it would only end when she and Zara ran out of ideas.

Harry nearly winced at the thought but his sympathy was firmly with Alys and Zara, their brother was a pathetic liar, cheat and slaver. A waste of space that the Stormlands was better off without.

The upside of the confession and the alliance with House Swann for Alys was that other Stormlords were now showing her a great deal more respect. Lady Mary Mertyn, Matriarch of Mistwood in particular had been impressed at her standing up to her brother and now she had triumphed had eagerly secured an alliance between them and the Swanns. They now formed a powerful block that would secure their future especially as the last Trant's except for Ser Meryn Trant of the Kingsguard who had no claim to his family's lands had died on the executioner's block.

A Valyrian sword for House Swann was already being worked on by Brynden as a gift of thank you, Ser Balon Swann had been named the Master at Arms for Summerhall and with that their holdings in the Stormlands was now secure, Alys' children would soon be joining her and it hurt to see them go but he would visit as much as possible just like he would Myria's children at the Tor Harry thought to comfort himself. Soon it would only be Rhaenys' and Zara's children here as it was too dangerous for them to go with her to Kings Landing.

Across from him were the three dragons eggs they would soon hatch, Harry's was the bronze egg he had discovered in the Mander years ago while Rhaenys had chosen two eggs, one coloured red and the other a shade of silver.

Jothos then came in with a wide smile, distracting Harry from his concerns for his children with news of their latest projects.

"My brother Lord Velaryon has agreed to lend/lease some of our ships to expand his own fleet. With the war over in Essos many lords are making a lot of gold from trade and some are even lending fighting men to the Free Cities for coin, he was eager to take advantage of the opportunity." Jothos told him, war was good for business as it left the Free Cities with no choice but to trade with Westeros if they wanted supplies and material.

Harry was troubled at the mention of the war he had inadvertently started in Essos, he could only hope Crixus and the rest of their former comrades were well. He had heard their movement was growing but little else as the Free Cities by large were playing down the slave revolt but rumours did occasionally leak out. Still that war was killing thousands of people, mostly innocent ones and that Harry thought with guilt nagging at him was at least partly his fault.

"Have we received any requests for loans?" Harry asked wondering if any of the noble houses were in need of coin that he was willing to provide if he could get something in return. Jothos pulled a piece of parchment from under his arm and said as he read it.

"Yes. Mostly from minor houses and the occasional knight, many are useless and are not worth the effort but these three might be of interest." Jothos said passing the document to Harry who read it with interest only to be slightly disappointed.

Two smaller houses Barnell and Barthheld wanted some coin for construction projects; Barnell wanted to build a bridge across the Green Fork in the Riverlands, primary to move their troops but such a bridge would threaten the dominance of House Frey as the only house with the means to cross the great river.

House Barthheld however wanted to convert a village they held into a larger town, largely for economic reasons.

The only other request was from Ser Lothor Brune, a talented knight who wanted to establish his own company of free riders.

Harry sighed, hoping these small contracts would lead to bigger ones he agreed, only to notice there was a message waiting in Jothos' hand. It was unopened and when Harry took it and read the contents he was unsettled.

It was from Gunthor, apart from announcing that Talla was pregnant which made Harry smile and made a note to send a gift it told him of an Iron born raid near Blackcrown and while it had not been against his own holdings it was a worrying development.

Worst Harry read on Gunthor had discovered it was not the first time either, raids had been happening at a rate of once every few months going back well over a decade even on territories that Harry now owned. That the Iron born were raiding so soon after their failed rebellion was no great surprise Harry thought with derision, those fuck wits actually thought themselves superior despite the fact they had none of the infrastructure necessary for any true society to function. Apart from some fishing they did not produce any food of their own, instead they stole it and anything else they needed from others, excusing themselves by claiming it was their god's will 'paying the iron price' but if anyone did the same to them it was crime.

Never had Westeros known such a large group of hypocrites apart from the Faith of the Seven perhaps Harry thought but what was really worrying him was the Shield Isles were supposed to stop this kind of thing from happening by sending warnings or intercepting the attacks before they passed the four islands. That was the reason Garth Gardener VII had invested so much in reinforcing the islands so the Iron born could no longer threaten the Reach coast, only it seems they were no longer doing their job, leaving the coast of the Reach exposed.

Harry sighed wearily, could he not have one night without some kind of problem.

 **-x-**

"The Shield Islands? Why in the hell would you want to go there?" Rhaenys asked as she prepared for bed. Looking over from the other side of room Harry stripped off his clothes and put them in the hamper for washing, Rhaenys climbed into bed wearing only her thin shift and he got in next to her as he explained.

"If the Shield Islands is not doing their job then our holdings in the Reach are threatened, reavers and rapists of the worst kind having a merry time all along the coast? That cannot be allowed to stand, all I intend to do is go to the islands and investigate…that is all. Lord Hewitt was one of the first lords to write and request a sword from us so that is a good pretext for going." Harry said as he pulled the covers over them, Rhaenys looking at him incredulously.

"Just investigate? You?" She said not believing a word of it, even if that was what he intended he could not help himself. If something was wrong he had to fix it she thought, loving the man she had married but was honestly exasperated with him at times and as she blew out the candle he could only say in an irritated voice.

"I resent that. I can be careful and not get involved."

Rhaenys just laughed.

* * *

 _ **Kings Landing, the same night…**_

Night was an even more dangerous time in Kings Landing than the day, the shadows and dark alleys held any number of hidden dangers and it was not unknown for people to walk down them and never be seen again. Such was the way of the city, having become a far more dangerous place within living memory.

Ser Janos Slynt, the Commander of the Gold Cloaks was busy with a visit to one of his mistresses, a skilled Summer Islander with a talented tongue. His pouch was weighed down with all the coin he had collected in 'protection' money, taken from the shops around the city. Not that it would do anything of course he thought with humour, if they did not pay though it would mean he had their shops and homes burned down. He sneered on his way back to his comfortable set of rooms at the main barracks of the City Watch, confident that the good times for him at least were going to carry on for a long while, especially with the considerable gold he received from Littlefinger for ensuring his operations remained unobserved and that anyone who stuck their noses into his business 'disappeared'.

He was ever so slightly drunk as well, so much so that he did not notice the rough looking thug as he emerged from the dark and shadowy alleyway and grabbed him, Janos had barely a second to realise what was happening before a dagger was drawn along his throat from ear to ear. He immediately began to choke as blood oozed from the wound, he clawed desperately at his attacker who just held him firmly in position until Janos had lost so much blood he could no longer stand and the thug let him fall to the ground, the rough thug smiled and took the pouch of gold from Janos' belt and walked back into the alley vanishing like he had never been there, leaving Janos to bleed to death in the streets.

 **-x-**

The fate that found Allar Deem was no better, he and his men were enjoying themselves with the whores at one of Baelish's brothels. No one inside noticed as a group of men quietly blocked the doors and lower windows, making escape impossible before splashing the windows and the edges of the building with oil, setting it ablaze before quickly making themselves scarce. The fire quickly took hold and engulfed the building, screams from those inside echoing across the night.

Across the city the most corrupt and leading Gold Cloaks were eliminated in what the people of the city would soon call 'The Breaking of the Dirty Gold', the entire upper leadership and the most corrupt lower members were eliminated in a series of ambushes, traps, poisonings and accidents. Most of the bodies would be stripped of everything and left naked in the streets before being found by the homeless or poor of Kings Landing, some even disappeared without trace and stew with meat was being served again in the poorest areas of the city.

Zara smiled as she heard the reports coming in from the spies she had managed to recruit so far, the city had been so corrupt and the Gold Cloaks so hated that is had taken her only a week to put together enough thugs for her plan, none of whom could reveal her as the mastermind behind the assassinations that had taken place tonight, it had taken weeks to identify all the targets and learn their routines but Zara thought with a sip of her wine, it had been well worth the effort.

There were still quite a few bad apples in the barrel but none in a position to take leadership, she was aware of the instability this could cause and the possibility someone more dangerous than Slynt could take over but they had a candidate in the Stormlands who Robert would wholeheartedly agree with to take over command of the Gold Cloaks and clean up the rotten city watch, one Harry would recommend in a letter they would send a couple of days from now.

To act so aggressively, even in shadows was a dangerous action she thought with some trepidation but perhaps if they got their candidate in position, then at last there might be some improvement in the city and it might just become less of a corrupt nightmare. But she still had work to do until then, guarding herself against Baelish and the like, operate the gambling dens while buying up new property not to mention find a sight outside the city for the orphanage Harry wanted to open although why she did not know.

* * *

 _Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, sorry again it was so short but there were a few things that needed to be dealt with before the story can move on._

 _Just to be clear, I did not make up the Cotton outfits worn by Alys and her horse archers. It was used by Alexander the Great himself when he recruited such units into his army during his campaigns._

 _ **Next Chapter**_ _– Harry visits the Shield Islands and finds a new ally & the Tyrells of Bloodstone gain a powerful weapon for the future._


	16. Chapter 16 Rising Power Part 3

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _It was really nice to hear from you all, glad you all found last chapter good. One person said Harry should not be overpowered or a genius or anything too much. Harry has a lot of power but I have tried to show he has limits, even with time to prepare he cannot control Fiendfyre for more than a couple of minutes, he can't fly except on something else (watch this space) etc. And he has some seriously capable people with him._

 _One other thing you will see in this chapter just how ruthless he can be._

 _Another question I wanted to ask you all, is there any character that you want to see wielding Valyrian steel? Any suggestions would be welcome._

 _I have made one sight adjustment to the canon, House Hewett are the Lords of the Shield Islands with the other three houses being their vassals. Just so that is clear from the off._

 **Chapter 16 – Rising Power Part 3**

 _ **Oakenshield, the Shield Islands…**_

The view that greeted Harry from the bow of the _Silence_ was pleasant enough as he came in sight of Lord Hewett's Town, the unofficial capital of the Shield Islands. It was pleasantly warm and green as the rest of the Reach and a bustling portside town.

So far so good Harry thought quietly to himself.

Trade ships filled the harbour, carrying goods from all over the world but there were few warships around Harry noticed, aware that they might be on patrol he put that observation aside till he had found out more.

Looking over to the dock as the _Silence_ carefully made port he was not he noticed being greeted by Lord Hewett or his wife but by a woman with long brown hair and fine silks, as the plank was lowered and he stepped onto land with a small guard of his men the waiting lady bowed low, exposing her cleavage making him want to throw a blanket over her.

"Lord Tyrell." She said with a voice that Harry guessed was supposed to be husky and seductive but came across as too over the top for his taste, like he was talking to a whore that had been dressed up as a fine lady. "I am Lady Alla Hewett, my father sent me to greet you."

Harry kept his face as a mask of indifference politeness but inside he was irritated, for a man that wanted something from him Lord Hewett did not seem to want to even come down himself to greet Harry but instead sent one of his many granddaughters. Nevertheless he followed her as she led the way to the castle which like the town in an act of vanity was named 'Lord Hewett's Castle'. Harry honestly did not know of any other house that did that and it was little wonder that House Hewett had a reputation for being full of themselves.

Alla however put on a surely exaggerated swing of her hips that he guessed was supposed to entice him, it only made him colder towards her and the rest of her family as Alla could not hold a candle to Rhaenys, Alys, Zara or Myria.

The castle itself which sat above the harbour though did bring a small measure of improvement to his view of the ruling house, small it might have been but it was strong with oak gates and sturdy stone walls and towers with green roofs, which actually reminded Harry of the house's banner bringing a small smile to his face. That soon disappeared as he noticed there were far fewer guards on the walls than there should have been and the inside did not make things any better, the training yard was small enough but had been cut in half to extend the stables and very few men were practicing there.

When finally he was led to the main hall of the small castle Harry was expecting the whole house to be there and it was, many women in fine silk gowns standing around a man that was clearly trying to make his rather dull looking wooden chair look like a throne which he failed miserably to do. He was an older man with grey hair and a considerable belly and like his daughters and granddaughters dressed in fine clothes.

A quick glance around the hall as Harry made his way forward did not improve Harry's opinions as the floors had Myrish rugs while Lys tapestries hung on the walls, in fact there were many expensive pieces around that conveyed how wealthy the house must be which nearly brought a frown to Harry's face knowing full well it was likely just a façade but he kept up his diplomatic smile.

"Lord Tyrell, welcome to Oakenshield." Lord Hewett said with a jolly voice although Harry could see the scheming in his eyes, very poorly hidden Harry thought with some disappointment having hoped if Lord Hewett was going to try and play this game he would at least be good at it.

"Lord Hewett." Harry said in turn with a polite nod. "I understand from your letter that you would be very interested in obtaining a Valyrian steel sword. I have several available that might meet your needs, there is the matter of how you would pay for it. The sword would not come cheap." Harry said seriously, being clear on that point from the off.

Lord Hewett did not seem concerned however and waved it off.

"We can talk of such things tomorrow for tonight I have planned a good feast to welcome you, so please accept my hospitality until then."

The delay was telling, it was only midday and there was plenty of time for them to discuss the 'acquisition' of the sword that Harry had no intention of giving to him, so why wait until tomorrow Harry thought with a sigh, this was shaping up to be a long day. Still it would provide him and his men with the opportunity to get the lay of the land and more pressingly to find out why the Shield Islands had not been doing their duty to the Reach as a whole.

 **-x-**

The feast was grander than Harry had expected, you would usually only see something like this if welcoming royalty Harry thought with slight surprise but what else could you say to a forty course meal on the finest plates with musicians and fools aplenty dancing for their enjoyment while wine flowed like water?

Harry was sat at the high table with Lord Hewett while the man's granddaughters made many attempts to get his attention, ranging from the subtle to the overtly vulgar but while they continually flirted fruitlessly with him they could not hold a candle to Rhaenys in his eyes nor Alys, Zara or Myria. They were true ladies in his mind, strong, smart, graceful and capable of achieving whatever they set their minds too.

The Hewett girls did not even compare in his eyes.

Which was he realised with humour bad for Lord Hewett's plans, managing to catch his gaze for a moment allowed Harry to read his thoughts and determine just what the older man's plan actually was. He wanted one of his granddaughters to seduce Harry and then he would kick up a fuss, demanding the sword in exchange for keeping him quiet so he would not have to pay for it and get a small vengeance for the Tyrell's refusal to wed Harry's brother Loras to one of his daughters. Harry almost smirked at that, clearly Lord Hewett had no idea of just who he was dealing with.

However any humour he might have had at that was nullified by the discoveries he and his men had made when they looked around, the sad truth that the lords of the Shield Islands had forgotten their duty and now only lived for social ambition and showing off like so many other nobles Harry thought with distain.

The disturbing truth was that the Reach coast had been under threat for a really…really long time.

The seeds had been planted long before he had been born when House Targaryen had conquered Westeros, the Iron Born and Lannister navy, the very threats that the Shield Islands had been fortified to deal with suddenly were no longer waging constant war against them and while the occasional war since had delayed the slackening of their alertness it had increased until they no longer truly carried out their duties, relying on reputation alone to protect them and by consequence the Reach coast, besides the Redwyne Fleet was nearby and would surely be able to handle any real threat…right?

The weakness of the Shield Islands had been exposed to the Iron Born during Robert's Rebellion, their old and poorly trained warships had been thrashed by the Greyjoys who had sided with Robert surprisingly enough. However none of the Shield Lords including Hewett the strongest of them had done a thing to rectify the issue, they had not even truly rebuilt their fleet after the war ended either. His men had discovered by asking around the docks that more trading ships had been built to increase their wealth instead and the Shield lords had spent it on treasures from abroad rather than their defence, reducing the number of guards too to save some coin.

Harry was astonished that his family had allowed this to continue but they were not that different Harry thought bitterly, however now it meant that his territories were vulnerable and those of House Blackbar, his ally and that Harry could not allow he thought darkly. And it was not like the other Shield Lords were better he mused, according to the information he had uncovered they were just as lazy and complacent as House Hewett.

But how to deal with this issue, Harry thought with anger now tainting his thoughts. It was not like he could force the Hewetts or their vassals to take their job seriously, to be honest given how vain and overconfident they were even his grandmother would struggle to do that, a fool is a fool and they will never change as she might say so he pondered on what to do when he noticed one of the serving girls, there was he thought with a questioning look something different about her.

She was beautiful he noticed immediately, with long and thick brown hair that was naturally wavy. Her figure was very voluptuous and alluring, moving with a natural grace that attracted the gaze of more than one man in the room. That in itself was not what drew Harry's interest, her eyes were the same shade of brown that Lord Hewett and his many female children had, the same facial features too Harry realised.

She must be Falia Flowers he realised, the bastard daughter of Lord Hewett.

He must be a right arse hole to make her serve her own relatives in his castle Harry thought darkly as he caught the old lord out of the corner like the rest of his family belittling Falia in front of the entire hall, he nearly sneered at House Hewett but kept up his mask of politeness and looked back to Falia managing to catch her eye for a moment, just long enough to quickly scan her thoughts and feelings.

She was intelligent he realised having spied on the lessons of her half-sisters and nieces, teaching herself to read and write and had it in her to be strong, she had to be to endure the abuse and spiteful comments sent her way all the time by her legitimate half siblings and nieces who were more akin to horses than women to Harry's mind reminding him of his counterpart's Aunt Petunia. She had humility as well whereas all of her relatives were spoiled, dumb and vain and could he realised make something of herself if given the opportunity. Not that she was likely to with her arrogant and pathetic family.

However one flaw was her deep seated rage towards her family, she hid it well on the surface but below the veneer of a serving girl was a red hot anger towards her relatives which could overwhelm her common sense, not to mention a yearning for appreciation and love that she had carried since her mother had abandoned her and the rest of her family had not bothered to fill.

Harry pondered deeply on this discovery and if it could be something he could use, she had more wits in her head than her entire family assuming she was not blinded by anger or resentment.

* * *

 _ **The Red Keep, Kings Landing…**_

Robert was against his will sitting in the Small Council meeting to discuss just what they were going to do now that the entire upper leadership of the Gold Cloaks had been wiped out, it bored him to tears as his 'advisers' useless fuckwits that they were arguing about who they could appoint to lead the City Watch now.

He honestly and openly laughed as stupid ideas such as Kevan Lannister or Loras Tyrell as they were thrown out there by the Lannister and Tyrell puppets on the council, including his own brother Renly much to his own disgust. Honestly why did his youngest brother have to be such an easily led fool?

The debates went on although he was about to walk out and leave it to Jon who would no doubt put one of his Vale knights in charge when a young boy arrived.

"Your grace." The boy said with bow before handing him a letter. "A message for you."

Robert was curious about who would write to him directly, usually it was to one of his Small Council or Jon as the Hand but nevertheless he opened the letter and read its contents with interest.

 _To His Grace King Robert Baratheon,_

 _I was writing to enquire your grace if I might be so bold if the sword we sent you was appropriate? We always endeavour to make the best steel and hope it serves your grace well._

 _I have also heard of events in Kings Landing regarding the Gold Cloaks leadership, I might make a suggestion your grace that there are many Stormlanders who would surely delight in the chance to serve with a man of your military ability and ensure the order is kept clean and effective in your service. Ser Alyn Estermont has I understand always endeavoured rise to a position of authority and has the skill with a blade and the determination and integrity to root out the corruption in the city and serve you well afterwards._

 _I thank your grace for your time and will continue to guard the Narrow Sea in your name._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Harry Tyrell, Lord of the Stepstones and Warden of the Narrow Sea._

The words of the young Tyrell brought a smile to Robert's face, yes he thought with another laugh that attracted the attention of the Small Council, _Dragon's Bane_ was more than appropriate and when the next war started he would enjoying blooding it with their enemy whoever that happened to be.

His suggestion however was brilliant Robert thought to himself, more Stormlanders around would make the city more agreeable to him rather than any more gold haired fuckers whatever Jon said about keeping the Old Lion happy. That they were relatives of his made the option all the more sweet to him. He had actually met Alyn Estermont on his last trip to Storm's End and he had liked him, as solid as a rock that could not be thrown and straight as an arrow.

No corruption would be tolerated under him.

"Ser Alyn Estermont will be named the new commander of the City Watch." Robert announced much to the surprise of the Small Council, Stannis Robert noticed actually approved of the choice which was rare Robert thought with surprise, never having seen his brother approve of his decisions before, given all the 'slights' that he had apparently endured over the years Robert thought. Still they were his relatives too and he wanted competent people, like that Ser Davos somebody he kept around.

Varys too looked like he agreed with the choice, Robert could not honestly say whether or not Varys could be trusted but he did seem to care for the betterment of the people and had on several occasions suggested removing Slynt, the late previous commander. The only reason he had not done so was for fear that whoever replaced Slynt could have been worse, thankfully Ser Alyn would be a far better commander at least to his judgement.

Renly looked deflated that his suggestion that Loras Tyrell be named commander had not been accepted and it honestly made Robert want to slap him around the ears, could he just act like a proper man at least once? Robert despaired.

Ser Barristan Selmy who was standing guard over him today was also in approval Robert noted, after all he knew the Estermonts as well and they were far more trustworthy than the Lannisters or any of the other suggestions. Barristan's apprentice Jason Waters too looked happy at the idea.

In fact the only two people who looked appalled by the decision were Pycelle and Jon, Robert noticed with a frown.

Pycelle he already knew had his nose so deep in the Lannister pocket Tywin might as well be leading him around with a leash Robert thought with derision.

Jon however did surprise him, someone they could depend on to get the city cleaned up and back in order what was wrong with that? Robert thought with irritation at his foster father, although he could guess.

"Lord Lannister has made it very clear he would like his own brother to take the position of Commander of the City Watch. Denying him would only anger the Lannisters more than ever given the events of a few months ago." Jon said with concern, remembering full well that Lord Tywin had not forgotten the death of Ser Gregor Clegane and did not want to risk his wrath further in case he called in the debt they owed him.

Robert however looked furiously at Jon who was taken aback at the fierceness of Robert's glare and told him in no uncertain terms.

"I want someone I can trust in that position who can clean up this shit pile of a city." Robert said with anger starting to come into his voice, making all the people around him nervous. "There are enough golden haired shits in this place as it is…even my own children! I will not have anymore! And you can forget me taking Lancel fucking Lannister as a squire too." Robert said his eyes like sapphires with their sharpness, scaring around the table with the lucidity the king was displaying.

 **-x-**

 _ **Jade Spring, Kings Landing…**_

Zara was smiling as she looked over their profits for the month, glad she had set up gambling dens rather than try and compete head to head with Baelish in brothels. They were bringing in a good amount of coin and several people were already indebted them such as Ser Boros Blout of the Kingsguard, Rugan one of the keepers of the Black Cells, the keeper of the Lion Gate and several septons.

Such debts she could call on any time she wanted information or favours she thought with a vicious smile although she forced herself to remain calm, this was dangerous work and she needed to keep a clear head. Especially as she had managed to get one of Queen 'Bitch' Cersei's handmaiden's Senelle to spy for her and a few others around the city, all now feeding her useful information.

Still she knew to be careful, anyone in his business would be a little untrustworthy so like in other areas of their operations she was making use of magical contracts provided by Harry to ensure her various workers and agents stayed loyal.

All the while she had seen to the setting up of the orphanage Harry had wanted set up, it was a large set of buildings a mile or from the city with a good plot of farmland where their basic needs would be fulfilled. Finding people to run it had been awkward but now all the children would be fed largely by helping the adults work the farm when they were old enough, but they would also receive a basic education to prepare them for the world and because it was outside the city it was safer for the children.

 **-x-**

 _ **House of Kisses, Kings Landing…**_

Baelish was furious.

No other way of describing his feelings at the moment.

The death of Slynt and his men had led to him losing control of the Gold Cloaks, the appointment of the Stormlander Estermont was his worst nightmare as he was too loyal to the Baratheons to ever take orders from him, however many coins he offered. Assassinating him was out of the question for now at least as Robert had ordered Varys to assist the Estermont in rooting out corruption and Varys was one of the few that Baelish would hesitate to cross.

So that left him without the means to hide his various illegal enterprises and without the muscle of the City Watch, which meant Baelish thought to himself that was going to have to find it elsewhere.

There was he remembered a Sellsword group that was known for recruiting some of the worse criminals from across the world and having no conscience about whatever orders that they had been given, loyal only to whoever is paying them. Exactly his kind of men Baelish thought with a bloodthirsty grin although given they were a sellsword company he would have to be very careful when and how he deployed them, especially with the Gold Cloaks being cleaned of corruption.

So he would start getting the Brave Companions on his retainer, next he would infiltrate the organisation of these new gambling dens which were eating into his profits by giving men a new vice to fall prey too.

Then either take control of it or destroy it.

* * *

 _ **Oakenshield, the Shield Islands…**_

The following morning while most of the castle awoke with a hangover and Lord Hewett fumed over none of his daughters or granddaughters managing seduce the Tyrell, Harry was bright and cheerful searching for his quarry as he moved through the castle eventually finding her in the kitchens.

She was cleaning clothes in the servant areas of the castle, her face screwed up with concentration as she struggled to get certain stains out. In fact she was focusing so hard on this that she didn't notice Harry until he was right behind her. Smirking he said loudly.

"Good morning my lady." Falia leapt to her feet and turned around in absolute fright, startled she curtsied quickly and bowed her head.

"My lord! I am sorry I did not notice you there." She said knowing that she was going to face some horrendous punishment from her 'family' for daring to speak to their guest. She was already forced to eat with the servants and not allowed a room of her own, she had to share with three other girls and was not even paid for her work. Instead she was given simple garments so she could never outshine her sisters and scraps from the kitchen. A familiar rage began to well up inside but with the eyes of Lord Tyrell on her she quickly suppressed it.

"Do not concern yourself, if anything I should apologize for surprising you so." Harry said with a laugh, genuine enough to put her at ease.

"Were you seeking Lord Hewett my lord?" Falia asked still a little nervous, Harry just smiled before saying, taking note of the fact that she called her father Lord Hewett for future reference.

"Why would I waste precious hours of the day with your idiotic father after his rather pathetic plan to seduce me failed? To hear how he would serve my house? How much gold and treasure he would give me in exchange for a Valyrian sword? The day is too short for that and I would rather enjoy your company in a stroll around your family's gardens?" Harry told her offering her his arm, testing her reactions with his words. While she might hate her father and the rest of her family she could still hold some trace of loyalty to them.

Her stunned disbelief was music to his ears, she in fact laughed openly when she heard him refer to her father like that before she quickly stopped and looked around nervously to see if anyone had seen her but relaxed slightly when she realised they were alone although was hesitant to take his arm given how much punishment she would surely receive from her family/tormentors if they found out but she was curious as to what he wanted, wondering if he wanted her for a quick 'roll in the hay' so to speak.

Harry knowing what she was thinking merely smiled and told her.

"I love my wife very much and she had given me two beautiful children, while you are beautiful I am loyal to her so banish those thoughts from your head. I merely want to talk." Harry said with warmth and while Falia was not entirely convinced as she was living proof that men did not always stay true to their marriage vows, she did trust him.

So she held his arm and let herself be led to the small gardens.

 **-x-**

The sun was bright in the sky and the warm summer weather pleasant as Harry and Falia walked around the garden, while smaller than what they had at Bloodstone it was still sweet smelling and colourful although the fountains were gaudy in their elaborateness. Another display of style over substance Harry thought wearily.

His companion however more than made up for it, he gently tested her with some questions which revealed her innate intelligence and cunning, having spied on lessons with the maester that the rest of her family had attended and learned to read and write. Likewise she had overheard much while listening to meetings men had with her father, gaining a rudimentary understanding of matters of ruling.

Intrigued Harry started as they continued to give her questions designed to test her lateral thinking, to see how well she could solve problems and although some took a while for her to figure out, for many she gave reasonable answers. There was room for improvement but the potential was there…for her to rule and rule well if she had the right support and half a chance. Certainly far better than any of her half-sisters or their idiot husbands. He was fully aware of all the problems that came with this not least that she was a bastard and a woman but all the same she would be useful for his organisation if nothing else.

He gestured to one of his men who came over with a copy of the Art of War he had been given in Yi Ti that had been translated into the Common Tongue by Alwyn and himself, Falia looked at the book confused while he told her.

"This book was written in Yi Ti by a great general and scholar, it has much to teach whoever has the patience and interest to read it. Have a look at it, see what you take from it." Harry told her passing the book to her which she took looking stunned at the thick leather bound book, hoping that she would try and read the book. It would hopefully teach her a little and she might be useful if she learnt enough.

Finally she took the book and curtsied to Harry telling him.

"Thank you my lord, I will give it my full attention. Now please excuse me before I am missed." Falia said with a smile and with his nod rushed off.

Just as well she did because moments later another servant of Lord Hewett appeared and invited him to a private meeting, Harry nearly sighed best get it over with.

 **-x-**

For the next few days Harry sat at the desk of Lord Hewett for a few hours nearly every day while he was shown all the grandiose plans the lord had that supposedly Harry could benefit from, not to mention all the wealth that he could give Harry if he would just give him a sword.

Harry did his grandmother proud though and made no comment throughout, no expression either as he let the overly ambitious Lord go on and on while Harry worked on his own plans.

He could not leave the situation as it was and there was no point to telling his father who had yet to contact him since his return or Loras despite their recent reconciliation. Heck even Margaery who took no interest in such martial affairs and Olenna had no real interest either, they would all be content to let the matter lie and ignore the danger in the face of their own plans.

Tywin Lannister had no real fleet anymore thanks to Euron Greyjoy and they should be able to hold the Lannister army off on land but anyone with any real sense could see that it was only a matter of time before the Iron Born tried to declare their independence for a second time. Balon Greyjoy was the most arrogant/determined, delusional man possible and with an unshakable belief in the Old Ways which of course meant 'he' would be a king. The current raids proved they cared nothing for the fact that Balon's last son was a hostage of the Starks and were probably just waiting for Robert to die before trying again.

Since the Iron Islands did not produce a single crop they would need food and following the Old Way, paying the Iron Price where better to steal food from than the Reach Harry concluded darkly.

He had to do something.

So he continued to teach and test Falia who was now secretly coming to his room to play cyvasse with him once she had been taught the game and was he was pleased to say becoming quite good, over their games he tested her with little conversations on various matters to see her opinions and insights. He was delighted to say that she had an innate gift for strategy and had through years of observation as servant who went unnoticed gained an awareness of people and their motives. Applied right that would give her anyone's strengths or weaknesses.

He pulled out the two way mirror and said with a smile.

"Rhaenys."

The surface shimmered and an image of his wife appeared, smirking before she asked him cheekily.

"So what have you done?"

"Nothing as of yet, cultivating an ally in Lord Hewett's bastard daughter but no more." Harry said rather defensively, not liking the insinuation but pulled himself together and told Rhaenys what he had uncovered. She listened and nodded grimly as she realised the implications and like him wondered what the hell they were going to do about it. No member of the family had a chance or the will required to turn the situation around, they were selfish stubborn fools who would not know a real threat till it came up and bit them on the arse. Falia had the potential to rule but she was A) a bastard and B) a woman, in other kingdoms that might be excusable but not in the Reach. The Faith of the Seven was too strong here for that. Maybe a woman ruler might fly but not as a bastard on her own.

Rhaenys on the other side of the mirror was likewise stumped by the problem, not sure what they could do within their own boundaries. Harry then said with a considerable amount of hesitation.

"I have a plan, it would solve the situation here in the Shield Islands and make a new ally for us but." Harry said stopping suddenly and his wife looked on now worried.

"But what?" Rhaenys asked not sure she wanted to hear this.

"The Hewetts might be arrogant, vain and lazy and their apathy towards their duty threatens the Reach but do they deserve to die for it?" Harry said knowing that they would rather die that give up their wealth and position and none of them would ever take their role seriously.

They were too invested in status and wealth, whenever he had broached the subject even forcefully they had said as much albeit quietly, waving off his concerns. Lord Hewett had even offered to sell some of their few warships to him at a very cheap price for a damned Valyrian sword and the shallow women of his family had continued their fruitless attempts to seduce him whenever he had brought the subject up with them.

Neither Harry nor Rhaenys wanted to do this but what else could they do? Doing nothing was a guaranteed recipe for disaster when the next war started and the Reach might bleed worse than in its entire history, even Oldtown their best and most reinforced port would be in danger. So he told her his plan, she was not any happier than he was about it but what else could they do?

 **-x-**

The following evening Harry invited Falia to see his ship before sending a raven to the Arbor. Harry made sure that he, his men and Falia were seen by those on the dock, it was critical to his plan that they were established to be on the ship tonight.

Pouring Falia some wine he quietly slipped a sleeping draft in it before handing it to her and leaving the cabin for a few minutes to talk to his men on deck while the draft took effect before he returned to his cabin.

Seeing Falia was now fast asleep he left her to in his cabin and locked the cabin door firmly, testing it before he pulled on his hooded cloak and apparated himself to the rooms he had been given by Lord Hewett. The guest wing was right next to the private rooms of House Hewett were all the members of the family were now lounging, drinking expensive wine and enjoying enough food in one evening to feed a normal family for almost two months and wearing clothes that would have bankrupted a lesser house. Harry however did not show any expression, forcing his feelings into a mental vault to stop them from interfering in what he had to do.

He left the room and crept around the quiet passages of Oakenshield until he was at the door way to the private quarters, he took one last breath to brace himself before he summoned a strong blast of fire from his dragon ring. It raced down the corridor and ignited tapestries, rugs and anything flammable.

Closing his eyes in shame, Harry apparated back to his cabin on the _Silence_ and took a deep drink of wine to steady his nerves, he looked over to the still sleeping Falia and a shard of guilt stabbed into his heart at what he had just done. He was not going to convince himself it was for the greater good, he was not that hypocritical…it might lead to a stronger defence for his homeland if his plan worked but he had wiped out an entire family…men and women whose worst crime was being lazy. Deaths, destruction and rapes from the raids that they should have stopped could have been laid at their feet but that was more negligence than intentional.

He would not celebrate this if it proved successful, he would not count it as a triumph. He exited the cabin after unlocking it and spoke to several of his men before word of the fire came, looking up at the castle where the glow of the fire could be seen.

And he had never felt worst in his life.

* * *

Falia when they had managed to wake her had been shocked to find her entire family had been wiped out, she had not said a word for hours as she just stared off into space. However much she had hated them, they were still her flesh and blood and now she was alone in the world.

Harry meanwhile took charge of things, starting repairs to the castle and seeing to the funerals as the island's population reeled from the destruction of its ruling house. The first thing Harry did though was sent a raven to his grandmother to make sure she knew of the situation, and received one from the Arbor which made him feel a slight sense of relief as so far his plan was going right.

Then he sent for the other three Shield Islands Houses to meet here in two weeks' time to decide the future lord here. They would not know what hit them Harry thought, what he had planned.

 **-x-**

 _ **Two Weeks Later…**_

The hall of Oakenshield was much more subdued than it had been earlier when Harry had first arrived. Banners and other vulgar expressions of wealth had been taken down and the food and wine far more controlled than before. Harry sat at the head of the main table, taking control as a member of House Tyrell until a new lord had been appointed as 'all' members of the house had been killed in the fire.

He watched the three other Shield lords as it were Serry, Grimm and Chester as they sat in their little groups, no doubt each wanting the position of Lord of the Shield Islands and control of Oakenshield to add to their own wealth. None of them had any blood ties to House Hewett but what did that matter to them? Who else could inherit the seat now that Lord Hewett and all his proper children were dead?

Harry was almost amused at their arrogance, none of them had any blood ties to powerful houses going back at least two generations and not one of their houses had ever served as Lord of the Shield Islands before and why they would assume that they stood a chance spoke of how arrogant they were. He was going to enjoy ruining their day.

He banged his goblet on the table several times loudly to ensure he got their attention, they all looked up at him expectantly as he rose from his seat, however amused he was at the surprise he had in store for them he kept his face completely serious as he spoke.

"Three weeks ago a tragedy occurred, a noble house was destroyed a terrible fire leaving no lord to reign here. Lord Hewett and his family will be sorely missed." Harry said knowing he was expected to say such things even if no one really cared as sad as that was. "That has created a void in the Shield Islands, someone must take the mantle. Lord Hewett had no sons to follow him and no goodsons survived the fire, but one heir has survived the fire." Harry told them.

Up until then they had all been waiting with baited breath to see which one of them would take the castle and were completely shocked when Harry told them there was indeed an heir left alive, instantly demanding to know just who it was in loud angry voices. Harry smirked and gestured to the side of the table were Falia was sitting.

"His daughter Falia."

That really put the cat amongst the pigeons he thought as they all started yelling loud protests, Falia and Harry however stayed completely calm and he turned to her and gave her a nod which she returned.

"SHUT UP!" Falia yelled at the top of her voice.

Instantly the hall became quiet as Falia stared down at them with a powerful glare that intimidated them all into being quiet, surprised and shocked at the fact that this bastard would have the audacity say that to them. Harry's smile was growing slightly wider as he let her handle them, it would be better for her future rule.

"But a bastard cannot inherit!" Lord Chester cried out angrily once he had gotten over his shock and it was soon joined by a cries of agreement from the others in the hall but Falia just laughed until they all looked at her like she was crazy before she managed to get hold of herself enough to answer.

"Wrong Lord Chester! You as a lord should know the law, if no legitimate blood relatives remain alive and no relatives of a close enough connection then a bastard may inherit their family seat." Falia said proudly, glad Harry had made her aware of that particular information. Apparently put into place in the event of a family being devastated by winter, war or some other such disaster to preserve the family line. "I and my husband now rule Oakenshield and therefore the Shield Islands."

The word husband instantly made another round of chaotic murmuring and shouting start, eyes darting around looking for this supposed husband with more than a few looking to Harry who only shared an amused grin with Falia and the man sitting at the table that none of the guests had noticed yet. The latter decided to stand up and spoke from himself, putting a possessive arm around Falia's slim waist.

"My name is Ser Denys Redwyne, I am this beautiful woman's husband and together we rule Oakenshield. I hope that answers any questions you might have." He added with a slight edge to his voice as if daring them to argue.

The mention of his name had the desired effect, none of the lords or their families spoke against it upon learning Denys was of House Redwyne. Kin to the Tyrells with the second largest fleet in Westeros (the first being the Iron Born), extremely wealthy and Denys had a mother who was from House Hightower another very rich and powerful house. Both houses would no doubt be thrilled to have one of their own in charge of the Shield Islands, and fight hard to keep him there.

Compared to them Chester, Grimm and Serry were mere insects.

Denys and Falia both looked down on their vassals, daring them to say anything but none of them had the guts.

Harry had attended the very quick wedding that morning, it had only had the family maester and a couple of servants as witnesses while Harry himself had acted as father of the bride, Denys had been smitten by Falia the moment he had seen her in the beautiful white gown that they had found for her. Harry had examined his thoughts and questioned him at length to make sure he would treat her with respect. Thankfully he was not one of those men that would judge Falia only for her looks or the fact that she was a bastard, he wanted a loyal wife that would stay true to him as he would to her. Falia was interested in the same, glad that the handsome Denys would look at her as woman rather than a bastard.

That Denys was a good knight and had learnt from his uncle Lord Paxter Redwyne how to build a fleet and fight with it properly was all the better, with Falia to handle the actual day to day running of the island they were a perfect match. They and their powerful relatives would now start to force the other houses to rebuild their fleet, strengthen their defences and finally do their job in warning the Reach coast of a coming raid from the north.

Failure to do so could mean the loss of their title or castle or both.

 **-x-**

As news of his actions spread across the Reach many of the lords were scared, while there was no proof Harry was responsible for the destruction of House Hewett they nevertheless believed it. They were afraid Harry could come after them next, Harry's own family at Highgarden were shocked too and Mace blustered but did nothing else. Olenna was slightly worried but she and her other two grandchildren were glad to see their hold secured on the Reach by the strengthening of their two strongest allies domestically, the Redwynes and the Hightowers. It served as a lessons for Margaery and Loras that there are times to be cautious and there are times for action and sometimes for both.

Some lords however were shocked to discover how compromised the Reach's defences had been by vanity and arrogant delusions on the part of several lords, how unprepared the Reach was for an actual attack that they felt respect towards Harry for his firm stance in fixing the issues with their defences. Mathis Rowan and Randyll Tarly in particular, two of the Reach's strongest lords and most experienced commanders were surprised at how lax their homeland had become and were actually approving of his decisions, here was a lord that they could respect. One that had the nerve, the cunning and the will to do something if they had a problem rather than simply let the situation continue unchallenged, who would do whatever it took to deal with problems and would react quickly rather than merely wait and hope it went away.

This was a lord that they could follow in war.

* * *

 _ **Bloodstone, the Stepstones…**_

The sight of his home after being stuck on Oakenshield for the better part of a month brought a smile to Harry's face, he hated having to leave Rhaenys and the children so much but with their powerbase still in its infancy he had many projects that needed his personal attention.

Kanoro was waiting at the dockside for him and gave him a manly hug to welcome him home which Harry returned.

"So has much happened while I was away?" Harry asked his best fighter who gave him a smile before answering as they went to the castle.

"Word from the Tourmaline Brothehood, Whitehelms and the Prince of Jhala. All three have agreed to your terms, Jhala will also being sending a group of smiths to learn to make better steel from Brynden. Jothos is delighted, apparently it will bring a lot of coin to the island." Kanoro said and Harry nodded glad to hear it. The extra coin those ships and the trade with Jhala would bring would go a long way to making their fortune publically and give them strong allies in Essos and the Summer Islands. Welcome news after the situation he had dealt with in the Shield Islands.

"Oh and two individuals have arrived to request loans from us, one a young woman from a place called the Vale and a man from elsewhere in Westeros. Not to mention Jothos brought someone here to see you." Kanoro told him as they arrived in the castle however Harry was instantly distracted by the sight that greeted him.

His young sons and daughters (by Rhaenys and Zara) looking up and clapping or waving at him as he entered while Rhaenys and Caelys kept watch nearby with a smile as Harry walked over and one by one picked up his children and gave them a loving hug. His sons and daughters all squealed in delight as their father raised them high in the air and then held them close to his chest.

Harry meanwhile was astonished at how big they had gotten in the month since he had been gone, and cursed once again not being here to see it. His powerbase was still in its infancy and required too much attention for him to be here all the time, however much he hated it.

He smiled to each of his children and with a quick look around to make sure that no unfriendly eyes were watching, he started making multi-coloured bubbles from his rung with magic and his children were instantly in awe of his creation, clapping and squealing with delight as they reached up to touch them while the adults looked on enjoying the simple and honest joy of young children.

What shocked them however was that Jasen, the eldest of them reached up his hand and more bubbles started appearing but from him rather than his father. All the adults were shocked and soon all the children were doing it, Harry felt a tear run down his face.

His children had magic, a gift that he could share with them and teach them to master. It was going to be difficult…Harry knew such from memories of all the hurdles his alternate self had experienced rearing his own children, but he would not change a thing. He looked over to Rhaenys who like him had a tear in her eyes as she looked at their children and as he caught her eye she put a hand gently on her stomach and pressed her finger to her lips, giving him a tear-filled wink.

Harry honestly could not stop the tears coming as he gathered his children around him and Rhaenys came to sit next to him, he put an arm around her and kissed her first on the forehead and then a slow sensual one on the lips that she returned with equal passion.

 **-x-**

When later that day after spending a few hours playing with his children before finally they were so tired they took their afternoon nap, Harry finally retired to his solar to get some work done and he looked over the documents that had built up in his absence. The orders for the potion ingredients, bronze and dragonglass had all been sent out and would hopefully start arriving within a few weeks so they could start making fresh Valyrian steel. The glasshouses were growing fruits and vegetables for them to trade and feed their local population as well as give them a few more potion ingredients. Their stores imbued with preservation runes that drew power from local ley lines to keep their food stores fresh for the long winter that was sure to come after this longer than normal summer even if they had a few years yet.

Preparations were advanced Harry thought with satisfaction and their fleet was now starting to trade far and wide, earning them good money. Their other holdings were stable and secure and at last they were ready to hatch their dragons and soon he was going to be a father…yet again he thought with joy.

Life had never been better for him, so he was in good spirits when the first applicant for a loan entered. He was actually taken aback when he saw her, she was fairly tall for a woman but with very familiar dark locks and blue eyes. If she was not a Baratheon or at least related he would eat his own boots Harry thought as he gestured for her to sit down.

"Welcome to Bloodstone." Harry said with a friendly smile to put her at ease. "Perhaps you could tell me your name before we get down to business." Harry suggested, curious about this woman who was now smiling nervously.

"Mya, Mya Stone." She said with a nervous laugh and Harry suddenly understood why she looked so much like a Baratheon, the eldest known bastard child of Robert Baratheon. Fathered during his fostering at the Eyrie under Jon Arryn, she was to his knowledge the best known of his bastards and had a good living taking care of the horses and mules at the Eyrie and was a talented guide across the harsh and difficult terrain, taking visitors and supplies across the mountains and astonishingly managed to not get raided or attacked by the Mountain Clans. Not even once.

A testament to her skill and luck, Harry thought not to mention she was good looking as well. Thick black hair with bright and intelligent blue eyes set in a surprisingly delicate face and her simple but practical clothes showed a good shape beneath them. Men would be falling over themselves for her if she was not a bastard Harry thought.

"So Mya, what do you want the money for? About twenty thousand gold dragons I believe according to my steward." Harry said getting down to business, looking her right in the eye to make sure she was being truthful. Mya did try and avoided his gaze for a moment given how nervous she was before answering.

"I plan to open a big ranch to breed horses and beasts of burden, here are some of the plans I put together." She said handing a set of documents over to him, he looked through them and was impressed at her forethought. Solid and sensible plans for establishing the ranch, where to hire the workers from, where to get the different animals for breeding and plans to create better and stronger livestock. She even had a plot of land set aside for her by House Royce to build her ranch on, signed by Ser Andar Royce Harry noticed wondering why he had given her the land.

"Lord Royce has agreed to this?" Harry asked, curious as to why he would give land to a bastard even if she was the daughter of a king. Mya blushed slightly before saying.

"Yes his son convinced him to allow me to operate the ranch on his land, Andar…I mean Ser Royce has been supportive of my plans."

She was in love with him Harry thought sadly, knowing that given how high in status and wealth they were there was no way the son of Lord Royce would ever be permitted to marry a bastard even if she was the king's. The ranch if it proved successful could make Mya a rich woman but that would not matter to the supposed nobility Harry thought sadly.

He only hoped she did not lust after him and waste her life away.

"Granted, the money will be made available and I expect repayment within the time specified." Harry said with a smile and held his hand out to the girl who was surprised but shook it in a surprisingly strong grip.

The possibility it could open up in the Vale to make allies there were worth it any way he thought.

A while later after Mya had retired to the room he had given her he met the next applicant, a sellsword called Bronn who wanted to set up a company of his own. He was rude to everyone even Harry who he wanted money off but was upfront about his intentions and a talented if rough fighter. Sellswords were in great demand these days as the Essosi war continued and after signing a blood contract allowed Bronn the funds to make his ambition, a sellsword company named Bronn's bastards (although Harry had suggested changing the name) a reality.

The last meeting of the day after Harry had looked through all the loan applications and requests for Valyrian steel and dismissed them all had been with Ser Boros Wallain, the former squire of Jothos. The man was taller than Harry with a blonde beard and hair cut unusually short, dressed in good quality armour with a slightly modified version of the House Blackwood banner, the ravens flying in a white circle around the dead white Weirwood tree. His face was stern and his gaze razor sharp, but he was respectful and gave Harry the respect one would expect from a man of considerable honour and integrity.

Boros was eager to purchase the lands of Riverthorn, a ruined castle and town not to mention Durain's Forest which while full of bandits was a rich source of wood and game. There was a good parcel of land and several villages within the two areas that could make him a very powerful man, the only reason that no one had tried to get hold of it before was thirty years ago a plague had struck there and killed nearly everyone. The plague was gone now but the land was seen as cursed by all who knew it, thankfully those from Kings Landing would not know that and be willing to settle, which was another thing Ser Boros would need help with.

He was a good and smart man though and with Harry's backing and that of House Blackwood he would soon have those lands in order, so Harry agreed to support him and signing a magically binding contract secured his allegiance in the future but gave him freedom on his own.

Harry sighed as he finally finished, exhaustion catching up with him and he still had something very important to do tonight he thought wondering if he was going to get the chance to sleep, grumbling slightly to himself he put the three dragon eggs in a bottomless bag and left his room for castle gates.

Rhaenys and Kanoro were there waiting for him, eagerly looking forward to what they were going to try and do tonight. Harry himself was more nervous, aware of the danger that this could pose in more ways than one. The weight of the pendant around his neck was seemingly heavier than normal for a moment as he climbed on Storm and together the three of them rode off into the night, their destination was the mountains where they were less likely to be observed. While most on the island would die rather than betray them, you can never be too sure and there was always the chance a visitor might see something they shouldn't.

Better to be cautious than foolish.

It took about an hour for them to find a safe spot, one hidden enough for them to avoid being seen and open enough to not be dangerous. Harry took the eggs out of his bag and set them in a shallow pit dug by him and Kanoro while Rhaenys kept watch, with that done and the moon high in the sky Harry and Rhaenys stepped closer to the eggs while Kanoro stood back, this was too dangerous for him to be any closer.

Harry raised his ring and with as much passion and energy as he could muster conjured as strong a torrent of fire as he could, the temperature in the immediate area started to rise quickly as the eggs were bathed in the fire. Sweat appeared on his forehead that was partly due to the heat and growing strain of keeping up the prolonged but controlled inferno around the eggs, Rhaenys next to him was sweating to a lesser degree but put a comforting hand on his shoulder while he kept up the spell. Kanoro could only look on with worry as Harry kept trying to hatch the eggs.

Twenty minutes passed like an eternity as Harry did his best to mimic the intense and powerful heat of a dragon's breath, his muscles were aching, his body feeling more weary every second and a painful headache stabbing into his head. Rhaenys and Kanoro were growing increasingly worried the longer this went on and yet nothing was happening. Had the eggs petrified and how much longer could Harry keep this up.

Rhaenys was about to make her husband stop and maybe they could try again another day when suddenly there was the sound, almost drowned out by the sound of the fire…but there was definitely a small crack.

All three of them looked at the eggs intently and as the fired danced and swirled around them there were more cracking sounds until finally Harry could hold the fire no more and released the spell, the flames dying out to reveal to the three astounded humans that now in the small pit there were three little dragons screeching out into the night.

Quickly Harry came over and picked up the bronze hatchling that screeched and then rested peacefully in his arms, Rhaenys then picked up her two dragons one red and the other silver. Their pendant's crystals glowing as the bond began to form, it would take nearly a year of contact to firmly settle and become permanent but now the basic framework of their powerbase was in place, they had the time to start training their dragons.

* * *

 _And that is the end of the Rising Power arc, brief but I wanted to show how Harry establishing himself in Westeros. That is not to say he is done with this sort of thing though, certain opportunities may well present themselves._

 _ **Next Chapter**_ _– Harry is reunited with some old friends and makes a few new ones as he visits one of the Three Daughters of Valyria._


	17. Chapter 17 A Lys Adventure

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _First I am so sorry at the delay at getting this chapter posted, my computer broke and it took ages to get anything done, bit by bit wherever possible. Also the results of the poll have caused a rewrite of the immediate future chapters._

 _It is about a year and a half before the beginning of Season 1 of Game of Thrones._

 **Chapter 17 – A Lys Adventure**

 _ **Bloodstone, the Stepstones…A Year Later…**_

The day was pleasant, warm and without a cloud in the sky. The people of Bloodstone like other normal people everywhere woke from their beds and went about their daily business, working, laughing and chatting as the day went on.

In the mountains of the main island however something very extraordinary was taking place.

Their roars sounded as three young dragons flew at breakneck speed around the narrow gulleys, peaks and valleys of the mountains, the dragons smiling and laughing in their own way as they pushed themselves and had fun at the same time.

From nearby Harry and Rhaenys watched their dragons speeding around the mountains with pride and satisfaction, when eventually the three dragons came back they greeted them with petting behind the ears which all three enjoyed immensely. Harry turned to Rhaenys and said while they were doing it.

"They managed to cut another three seconds off their last time…again."

"This training regime is working well, they will be the best dragons that ever were. Won't you?" Rhaenys said speaking the last part in a childlike voice to her two dragons Aegeron and Skyborn who looked at their 'mother' with adoration which she returned with a smile. It was like they were a part of her sometimes she thought, she could sense their moods and dreams at times. She knew if they were distressed or hungry, it was a…strange experience she thought but it was one she would not trade for the world. A sentiment echoed by Harry.

All the dragons had their own personalities they had found, Skyborn was the smallest of the three but not by much. Instead the red scaled dragon made up for her slightly smaller size by being the fastest of all of them and the happiest. Always happy and joyful she thought bringing a smile to her face too as she felt her dragon's happiness.

Aegeron was of course named after the brother Rhaenys had lost, silver scaled he was the most daring and adventurous of the three and there had been times she had pulled him back from taking risks that could get him hurt. Hopefully he would calm down with time and experience.

The largest of the three dragons however belonged to Harry, Talos as he had been named with his bronze scales was the biggest now was a big as an elephant and would soon be able to carry his rider through the sky. He was also the most responsible and highly protective of his two fellow dragons not to mention Harry and Rhaenys. The unofficial leader of the pack.

Their quick growth had been astonishing, a rich and varied diet with regular, intensive exercise and not being confined had done wonders. Harry was now shaking his head at the stupidity of House Targaryen, chaining up their dragons in that idiotic pit in Kings Landing. Chances are they would have kept their dragons if not for that as evidence was right in front of them that dragons like any living creature needed exercise and stimulation to keep growing. It was a question as to how big they might get as dragons supposedly kept growing throughout their lifespan, Targaryen dragons were known to grow to huge sizes sometimes and they had not had the advantage of the training and care Harry and Rhaenys were giving their dragons now.

How long they were going to be able to keep them secret was a question that constantly worried them.

After playing with their dragons some more, Harry and Rhaenys let them go and play in the mountains while they returned to the castle that was their home. Tomorrow was the name day celebration for Alys and Zara and they had gathered their entire family to have a party. They rarely all got to meet together these days and they were all so busy with their own affairs and managing the powerbase they had been putting together, so it was finally a chance for them to reconnect properly and for their children to play together as siblings.

Harry looked over to his wife and both smiled as he put his hand carefully on her stomach, her third pregnancy had been an accident but they could not be happier. They had already two sons Jasen and Oberyn and two daughters Elinor and Rhaella, although it was a big step in her acceptance of her Targaryen heritage for Rhaenys to name their youngest daughter after her own grandmother on her father's side.

Arriving back in the castle they were glad to see everyone had arrived already. All his children were playing with Maekor and Noelle under the watchful eyes of Kanoro who had himself recently received a new son of his own, named Harry after the man that had saved Kanoro and his family from slavery.

To say Harry had been touched was an understatement.

Jothos, Brynden and their own families were sitting with Alys, Zara and Myria chatting while the children played. Caelys herself was sitting with her sister while a small babe sat in her lap, conceived by Oberyn Martell. Rhaenys had been livid at her uncle taking liberties like that with a woman that she considered a friend under their roof, but since they were consenting adults she did not take the matter further. A son had been born which surprised everyone even Oberyn himself and while he visited often Caelys had refused to give her son over to his father, he would be raised here with his sister on Dragonstone. Oberyn however did not seem to mind as it gave him more of an excuse to visit Bloodstone and Caelys had let him name their son, Mors after one of the two founders of House Martell.

Harry had all eleven of his children under his roof again, it was enough to bring a smile to his face.

His thoughts turned to their alliances and powerbase briefly as he watched his family interacting, all their investments were now returning good coin and their treasury was very healthy with many smaller houses seeking to join with them. Harry had received many 'offers' from House Frey, saying that Lord Frey did not care if his children were worthless bastards he would still be willing to marry his children to them.

That had really infuriated Harry and he had burned all the letters before letting his wife or her friends see them, he was aching to teach Old Walder a lesson in respect and one slip up from the old weasel was all the excuse Harry would need to end him.

Still elsewhere in the Riverlands, Lord Boros Wallain had fully justified their faith in him. He had completed the repairs on Riverthorn and its town, got the villages in order and wiped out the bandits in Durain's Forest. He was now a strong lord with a good deal of respect for his talent in warfare, even helping House Blackwood claim and restore the ruined medium sized castle Battle Forge. It would give them power near equal to House Frey and good leverage over long-time rivals House Braken and with Harry's help Boros had found the bastard granddaughter of Lord Lychester, who had lost all his sons in Robert's Rebellion. The old man had already made her his heir and married her to Boros who was quite taken with his new wife. The Darrys had pledged their support to Boros as well, given he had taken both of Lord Darry's sons on as squires and be fostered at Riverthorn. Attempts to get other former Targaryen loyalists on board had been unfortunately hampered by the lack of public Targaryens and the reputation of House Tyrell. Hopefully something they could overcome with time.

Their exports of fruits and rice were selling really well and in Kings Landing Zara had amassed a large number of debts owed to them and a fair amount of blackmail material too. The Redwynes had been delighted with the Valyrian steel sword he had given them and had been keen to establish ties as well. House Swann had been likewise happy to receive their swan styled sword and House Blackwood too named Raven's Claw which had honestly made Harry laugh as he remembered the strange Luna Lovegood…a strange but insightful girl. Their allies like Boros Wallian and Gunthor Hightower had also received some Valyrian steel of their own and soon Harry was going to have to make more. Oberyn had been delighted with the Valyrian steel spear his had received.

In his spare time, Harry had also managed to finally render down the Basilisks he had been holding in storage for any useful materials, the leather in particular which was what he and most of his inner circle wore now. Tougher than chainmail, more comfortable and when enhanced with runes disguised as decoration a good way to keep his loved ones and friends alive.

The calmness of the moment was bliss to Harry, he had never known such contentment in his entire life.

Family…Friends…Children…Home. Simple things that people rarely thought of but he felt happy with what he had, he did not hunger for more everything he needed he had.

 **-x-**

 _ **Mysterious Ship, the Sea…**_

Unknown to Harry however a ship was carrying a disguised figure was coming closer to the Stepstones, the ship was a simple merchant vessel with no ties to any of the Free Cities. Best way to get where you wanted without being noticed. He was calm and collected, hoping to arrive with another couple of days of sailing.

He had business there.

 **-x-**

 _ **Bloodstone, the Stepstones…**_

While the rest of the castle slept that night, Harry did not.

In the bowels of the castle he had three cauldrons simmering under a controlled heat, pouring a green potion into each of them all in turn checking it was bubbling nicely before he carefully took solid materials steel, bronze and dragonglass and dropped each one into a cauldron separately. The potions all seemed to bubble even more once the solid materials had been added, changing colour as a few minutes passed to show the breaking down of the objects in question. Harry stirred each one of them in turn for a couple of minutes each until they were ready before stepping back and getting to the most complicated part of the process.

The mixing of the potions and the dragon fire…with magic.

Harry had already set up a strong and large fire pit where fire from Talos was crackling away nicely which made the room extremely hot and sweat was already running down his body as he started the mixing in an empty fourth cauldron next to fire pit. Levitating all three large amounts of liquid out of the other three cauldrons Harry moved it carefully with great concentration into the fourth cauldron and started using his magic to mix the liquids into a greater mix. His hands waved in to the air like a conductor as magic of different colours swirled around his hands and his ring which flowed into the pot, joined by the dragon fire. The heat and smoke in the room all seemed to gather around the fourth cauldron and were absorbed into the mixture as Harry layered spell after spell into it as well.

He was exhausted by the time an hour had passed but he was so close to finishing that he pushed himself to continue, he checked the liquid which was now coloured a deep shade of gold with a faint aura coming off of it. Satisfied that he had gotten things right, he levitated the cauldron and careful of the hot molten metal, poured part of it into a set of moulds on a stone table he had set up nearby letting the cauldron fall to the floor when it was finally empty. He sighed in relief that it was finished before checking that he had poured the molten steel liquid correctly, when he was satisfied that it was done right he made sure to safely extinguish the fires under the cauldrons and that in the fire pit and stowed his equipment away before leaving the bars to set. It would take the better part of a day before they were solid again and he could see if he had been successful, because if he had then the first Valyrian steel made since the Doom was currently cooling in his cellar.

And it would be really helpful to make more Valyrian steel weapons he thought gratefully, more had been used more recently and soon they might need even more. Five of the bars he had recovered in Valyria had been used so it would go a long way to secure his supply of it.

* * *

When the sun rose the following morning Harry was feeling bright and cheerful though, he carefully extracted himself from Rhaenys who was still sleeping. He wanted to make sure that the feast and gifts they had planned for Alys and Zara were underway, looking back at the bed he smiled to see them curled up still asleep. Although all had joined him in bed last night the other three women were taking a contraceptive potion he had given them to ensure they did not become pregnant this time, dressing he left the room as quietly as he could. Walking in the pure morning air was refreshing and he could see signs of the castle coming alive, bringing a smile to his face.

In the yard he could see Kanoro was already up with Aeron Velaryon and Daena Baelerys in the training yard, both had begged him for training and eventually he and Kanoro had agreed to their request. He usually would be in there with them but today he had a few other things to do.

He visited the kitchens just to check that Calla had things well in hand, then checked on the bars and saw the new steel was cooling nicely and was about to join Kanoro in the yard for his morning work out when Jothos came up to him with a big smile.

"My lord we have received an unexpected visitor." Jothos told him but there was no concern and in fact the older man seemed quite happy about it. That made Harry curious.

"Who?"

The sudden sound of steel being drawn made Harry instantly alert and he ducked out of the way just in time to avoid a dagger being thrown at his head, he out of instinct he drew his tiger dagger which he always carried about his person.

"Good to see your reflexes haven't rotted from living in this castle." A familiar voice said and despite the seriousness of what had just happened, Harry couldn't help but smile as he got to his feet.

"Gannicus. Saxa." Harry said with a warm wariness, looking up to see the warrior lovers smirking at him he got to his feet and sheathed his dagger. Gannicus smiled and gave a laugh while Harry received a manly hug, Saxa just smirking from the side.

"It seems you landed on your feet, the people seem happy at least." Saxa said, the blonde wildling woman smirked and looking beautiful even in her rough leathers, perhaps especially because of that Harry thought, knowing the warrior woman would be out of place in a dress.

"We did a good job sorting the islands out didn't we?" Harry said to Jothos, making it more a statement than a question. The man just shrugged.

"How are the others? The movement? Information coming out of Essos is often unreliable these days?" Harry asked, wondering how their rebellion was going.

"Well there are tens of thousands of us fighting now, with more joining every day. Whole families in the camp now, Crixus weren't too happy about it but he and Naevia came round." Gannicus said brightly, proud of all their movement had achieved before turning sombre. "Barca and Sula…the Unsullied got them near Qohor. Tortured them for hours before they died, but we burned their whole city down." Gannicus said with a bitter anger that Saxa shared.

Harry was deeply saddened to hear of Barca and Sula's deaths, especially given how they had died even if he was slightly disturbed by how they had been avenged but he pushed it aside. It was done and he had no control of what the freed slave movement did with their enemies.

"I take it then that this is not a social visit." Harry said, they had not made contact in years and so now he thought with an annoyed wariness they must need something from him.

Gannicus and Saxa nodded and Harry took them to his solar while Jothos made sure things were in place for the party later.

 **-x-**

The room was room while Harry stood next to his desk as Gannicus and Saxa stood around looking at his personal workspace. Harry was impatient to get this over with, he wanted to make this a happy day and he had a feeling this was going to be serious.

"Well?" Harry asked intently making the two uneasy for a moment before they spoke.

"Our numbers are growing so quick we can't provision and equipment everyone, we have the gold we have been seizing but hardly anyone is willing to sell to us and we can't steal it quickly enough. And to keep us safe from slavers we have to move the camp so we can't farm." Saxa explained and Harry began to understand what they wanted. You might need steel to equip an army but without food they cannot and will not fight at all.

"And you think I will be able to provide." Harry said wondering just how much they would need, he supported the slaves bid for freedom, he really did but he could not just donate supplies to the amount they were requesting. A few small ones perhaps he thought but not enough to feed them all. He wondered for a moment before asking. "It takes time and effort to make food and steel and I cannot just feed an army on a whim. But if you were to trade the food and steel for the gold you acquired, then maybe we could work out something." Harry said, he did not want to extort from the freed slaves but he needed to get something back for the investment of resources this would take to meet.

Gannicus nodded, having expected him to propose this deal anyway. Harry shook his hand and said.

"We will hammer out all the details later, in the meantime no more business for today. I hope you both will join the party, it would brighten the day to have you there."

"Are you kidding?" Gannicus said with a laugh. "Haven't had a good party in fucking ages." He put a possessive arm around Saxa who allowed herself to be pulled on his lap before kissing him with as much passion as she could.

"You enjoy it, though please mind your language, I don't want my eleven children picking up bad habits just yet." Harry said knowing full well the number was going to shock them, enjoying it when they both looked at him startled and Harry honestly nearly burst out laughing when Saxa nearly fell off Gannicus' lap.

"ELEVEN! HOW FAST DO YOU WORK?"

Harry not able to hold it in any longer started laughing so hard he nearly fell over at the expression on their faces only coming to a slow stop when he looked over at the desk as saw a letter in his 'In' pile. It was not the careful and elegant script that his name had been written in but the seal that had been printed in wax upon it, golden coloured it was two triangles interlocked with two hands extending out where they both joined.

He had only seen that symbol once before but he always remembered it, as it belonged to the most powerful merchant bank in the world…The Iron Bank of Braavos. The whole western world lived in its shadow and hardly anyone knew it, as the Braavosi say. 'The Iron Bank will have its due.'

Making money was their sole concern. Political, religious, social and personal issues did not matter beyond their ability to affect the bank's primary interest. No excuse would sway them, nowhere could you run from them nor could you cheat them.

But why then should they want to talk to him? Harry thought as he picked up the letter. His only dealings with the Iron Bank were done through the Whitehelms and they always obeyed the bank's rules. There was no reason for them to come to him as he had not requested a loan nor did he need one, although he had spent a considerable amount of gold over the last few years he still had a healthy amount in reserve and now his holdings were making coin he would be able to refill it slowly.

Opening the letter it said only that a representative would be joining him shortly.

That did not sound good Harry thought but tried to put it to the back of his mind so they could have a good time before the representative from the bank arrived.

* * *

The reunion with Gannicus and Saxa had gone down great and the party had run on well into the night, everyone had a good and relaxing time.

But Harry been careful in his drinking wanting a clear head for the morning after, the Bank representative's ship had been seen a day or so away and he needed his wits about him. A letter to his grandmother had confirmed that the Tyrells had no dealings with the Iron Bank and neither did the Martells. All his allies had confirmed they had no connection to them either so he was getting worried about what they might want.

It was midday though when finally the unmarked merchant ship arrived and Harry stood ready to meet him, his eyes guarded and his expression serious.

A familiar man stepped off the ship, tall and well-dressed but not extravagantly so. He had a trimmed beard and short hair, Harry remembered this man had been the one to arrange his deal with the Whitehelms for them to run his portion of their business in Braavos…Tycho Nestoris that was his name Harry remembered with suspicion.

"Lord Tyrell, it is a pleasure to see you again." Tycho said but the sharpness of his eyes made Harry more on edge than he had been before and the smile on his face did not reach his ears.

"Lord Nestoris, the pleasure is mine. Welcome to Bloodstone." Harry said politely only for Tycho to correct him.

"I am no lord, there are no lords in the Iron Bank. Our world is composed on numbers rather than titles, we find them more reliable than words." Tycho said in a voice devoid of expression, leaving Harry not sure if he was genuinely annoyed or not.

"Then I apologize Tycho Nestoris, perhaps we should retire to my solar so that we can discuss whatever it is that had brought you all this way." Harry suggested deciding to cut straight to the heart of the matter and Tycho nodded approvingly and without a further word they left the harbour, the men around and even Kanoro looking at the man with distrust and Harry could hardly blame them. Men who cared only for money could never be trusted.

When they finally arrived and sat at the desk Harry poured two goblets of wine but neither man touched them. Instead they got right down to business.

"Lord Tyrell, ever since your 'activities' in Braavos and Volantis which I am sure you remember the bank had kept an eye on you. The war that you began when you sacked Volantis has proven most profitable for the Iron Bank as after all…wars cost money and increases trade in certain areas." Tycho said with a small smile.

"As will the reconstruction after the war is over no doubt." Harry interrupted no liking to be reminded of the continental war he had inadvertently started, however all Tycho did was nod in agreement. Harry could hardly he knew look down on them for war profiteering when he himself had just made an agreement to supply the Freed Slaves with food and weapons for stolen gold.

"However we are not the only bank that is profiting from this conflict." Tycho said getting to the point. "The Rogare Bank in Lys has enjoyed a great deal of fresh income from the war, their power and wealth has not been this great since the regency of Aegon the third and it is worrying development. Especially as they have been sending out invitations to Robert Baratheon for loans and not just to him but too many others in Westeros."

So that was it Harry thought understanding, their power/position as the greatest money lender and merchant bank was being threatened and the debts owed to them in danger of being bought out from under them. The debts were of course a source of power for them and additional wealth in terms of interest. And given his own islands proximity to Lys he now had a good idea just where this conversation was going and why they had come to him.

"And you want them eliminated?" Harry asked seriously.

"That is the intention yes." Tycho said simply.

Harry was not sure if he should be honoured they came to him or offended, he was not a sellsword that they could simply hire to kill their enemies he fumed. A man who dared war on a nation state for gold alone! Then he became curious, just what was his incentive for doing this? Harry wondered, how would they gain his assistance?

"While I can understand your position I fail to see why it would concern me? Why should I interfere with Lys affairs when I have no stake in this situation? How could it possibly benefit me?" Harry asked calmly. Tycho nodded, likewise understanding his position before explaining his case.

"An alliance between the Iron Throne and Lys through the Rogare Bank would place your own islands in a very vulnerable position, Robert Baratheon owes three million gold dragons to us already and if it is bought out by the Rogare Bank then Lys will have a strong hold over Westeros. It could even see your islands transferred to their own control to pay off the debt, I understand Cersei Lannister has been very supportive of this idea and Jon Arryn has been open to it also." Tycho said and Harry nearly sighed, why Tywin Lannister had to create that demonic, short-sighted woman Harry would never know although he conceded it was not a reality he could ignore.

"Apart from securing my position and your own, what other enticement do I have to embark on this 'enterprise'?" Harry said keeping his questions to the point.

"The Iron Bank is always in need of a man that can get things done quickly and efficiently, while I doubt gold alone would interest you as you are already a wealthy man we do have one offer that we hope might tempt you." Tycho said with a small smile reappearing on his face. "A silent partnership in the Iron Bank, our aid in expanding your own trade and business connections, a share of our profits which would only increase with the destruction of the Rogare Bank and finally our support should you need it…where possible anyway. I take it that would be worth the risk of your involvement?" Tycho said with a grin.

Harry was stunned at the proposition, never having expected such an offer. Only Braavosi were allowed to join the Iron Bank given it was where the city had been founded, he would be the first non-Braavosi to join. The advantages of joining them were considerable but Harry was not blind to the fact that they wanted him as their 'blade in the shadows', to strike down their enemies when normal methods did not work or to collect debts that were owed.

"While I consider your offer, please accept the hospitality of my home. The situation as I am sure you agree is not something one should leap into without a thought." Harry said and Tycho smiled.

"Good, you have caution as well as ability, it bodes well for your future."

 **-x-**

"Absolutely not." Kanoro said firmly looking as solid and inflexible as stone.

Harry, Rhaenys and Jothos all sat around his desk while Kanoro stood next to the fire place. He had just explained what the Iron Bank was offering and what advantages and disadvantages there were too taking it. And his right hand man was not taking it well.

"Helping the greedy take out other greedy people is a disgrace. What possible good could it do us or those we protect?" Kanoro said his own mouth an unyielding line, Harry half agreeing with him.

"But if we don't then we could end up ruled by Lys, a city who practices slavery with most of our people in chains. The most beautiful girls taken from their families to serve in pleasure houses, the men forced to do gods knows what. Is that what you want?" Rhaenys argued, knowing her own daughters and Zara's could fall in the former category, not to mention food and coin taken for the lazy and gluttonous rich in their enormous manses. It was more than she could do not to spit at the sound of it, they had fled Essos intentionally to avoid that kind of thing.

Kanoro's expression became conflicted at the mention of slavery's return, all of them did not doubt that it could well happen. Robert was an idiot, Cersei a short-sighted, petty whore and Jon Arryn a useless scared prick. Land being exchanged to cover an enormous debt had been done before and might well happen again.

"Besides having the Iron Bank on our side would ensure our trade and wealth expand nearly fivefold, not to mention giving us a powerful ally for the future form a place where slavery is illegal." Jothos said with a calculating look in his eyes, he was thinking as a business man while Harry was wondering about everything else though.

The situation was unpredictable and would have to be handled with care, the advantages were great but so were the risks if it all went wrong. Lys was an enemy and he knew they would at some point in the future try to claim the islands for themselves which was why he had fortified them, cutting the Rogare Bank off at the knees would buy them considerable time and reduce them as a threat…which they would struggle to overcome given their current problems.

Lys had been hit badly in the war over in Essos, while they did their best to hide it their fleet had been largely destroyed in several savage battles, some of which had been witnessed by ships that either belonged to him or were trading with the islands. Their trading fleet had been likewise devastated or seized. He honestly doubted that they could hold on to the Stepstones even if Robert did hand them over, but that did not necessary hold true for him Harry thought cautiously.

Harry decided in the end to go, keeping his own idea at the back of his mind until he had seen Lys for himself and determine if it was viable.

* * *

 _ **The Sea off the coast of Lys, two weeks later…**_

Harry was not travelling on the _Silence_ this time and he was already irritated, to avoid being detected he had travelled on an unaligned merchant ship and the crew were such incapable and loud mouth drunks' that it had taken twice as long as it should have to get to Lys. But at last he thought with a grateful sigh, his destination was in sight.

And what a sight it was, Harry thought with honest appreciation.

Built as a mercantile city on a sunny and verdant island, a high wall and buildings made of white stone basked in the sun. The blue waters around the island teamed with fish and other aquatic life while on land there were plentiful palm and fruit trees. It was a paradise and in the days of the Valyrian Freehold had been a favoured destination for dragon lords who wanted a relaxing and enjoyable holiday.

The port was a hive of activity as the ship docked as were the guard towers and wall that surrounded the city, Harry carefully looked at them and was surprised to see clear evidence of recent battle damage to the walls and gates. More than that he looked over to the shipyard as he walked 'casually' past and saw a number of badly damaged ships were being very quickly repaired. It was not so much that ships were damaged that surprised Harry, he had known their fleet had been hit hard in recent battles but not to the extent he was seeing, the brightly painted stripped hulls of the Lysene galleys scarred and battered.

Heading to an inn Harry ordered an ale while he looked around, astonished by all the silvery gold hair and purple eyes he was seeing. The blood of Valyria flowed strong here he thought as he sipped his ale, even more than Volantis had and their beauty was enough to make nearly any man stop and stare, not to mention drool like an idiot Harry thought with a chuckle as some men were hypnotised by a passing woman with silver hair.

Getting back to business Harry listened to the conversations going on around him, many Lys based sailors were here and one conversation held between two men that were dressed in the finery of captains in the privacy of an alcove in particular caught his attention.

"Saan offered me a place in his fleet and I intend to get the fuck out of here before it's too late, you should too." One captain said to the other who looked outraged at the mere idea of it.

"Abandon Lys! How can you say something like that? If not for this city then you would not be a captain." One said in outrage but the other one just snapped back with an angry.

"And if we stay here then we will be corpses due to this city! The fleet is almost gone, twice they almost made it through the gates and that was one on one with us. Now they are allied together, we haven't a chance."

"There is no clear evidence that Myr and Tyrosh have an alliance that is just rumour." One of the captain's said dismissively but the other captain who wanted to leave gave a bitter barking laugh.

"Believe it. I saw some of their ships sailing together and take it from me, there was no fighting going on. Now they will come for the city with everything they've got, but if you want to die for nothing be my guest." The captain said before storming off while his colleague called after him.

Now that was interesting Harry thought with a calculating look in their direction, after making some discreet enquiries and listening to a few more conversations he was able to confirm it was all true. Myr and Tyrosh had indeed allied together against Lys which had sustained even worse losses against them before than anyone knew. The Conclave of Magisters which ruled Lys had done their best to keep the information silent but in inns and taverns sailors talked about the losses their fleet had taken, the raids against the city's own walls and whispered of the enemy allying together. Not to mention internal fears that the slaves which outnumbered the free people in the city by three to one might rise up against them.

Moral in the city had plummeted and it gave a new dimension to their attempts to gain an alliance with Westeros, they must be hoping that it would scare the enemy off attacking Harry thought with a shake of his head. It showed a deep and scared desperation on their part, not that Harry could blame them. Had he not done the same thing in bending the knee to Robert Baratheon however distasteful he found it to make sure that his people would be protected?

Harry left to investigate the rest of the city and with some difficulty managed to find the Rogare Bank building, suitably elaborate with dragon carvings and pointless displays of wealth everywhere Harry thought with irritation. Guarded by Sellswords it would be easy for him to enter but right now it was still day, Harry thought it far better to wait until the dead of night to make his move but he did get a good look at the interior lobby, which would be useful.

With that Harry wondered where he should set up his special tent which he had not used in years while he wandered around the city, not with any goal in mind but just to explore. It was nearly dark when a scream alerted him to something being wrong nearby, he drew one of his two swords and without thinking ran towards the sound and saw a young woman of no older than fifteen years being forced up half naked against the wall of an alley by a gang of laughing sellswords. If the scream and torn dress had not been enough of a clue as to their intention, the drunken laughing and grouping of her still growing body was.

"Leave that girl alone." Harry said in a voice as warm and friendly as Northern winter, a cold fury settling inside him. He had strict laws about this sort of thing on his islands, if a rapist or murderer was caught then if he did not personally execute them, they would be gelded and banished to the Wall or failing that given a long and drawn out demise as a warning to others about the consequences of breaking the law and because of that there was little to no crime there.

These men were about to learn that too, Harry thought viciously as they all turned towards him with complete confidence that he was no threat.

"FUCK OFF YOU USELESS PRICK! OR WE'LL CUT YOU UP GOOD!" The leader of the drunken pack shouted, annoyed at the interruption like his men but even if the girl had not send Harry pleading looks with eyes wide in terror, he would not have let this continue.

Without even bothering to warn them, Harry quickly whipped a pair of throwing knives off his belt and threw them straight into the heads of the drunken sellswords, hitting them right between the eyes.

The sellswords still standing looked down astonished as their buddies fell to the floor dead and Harry took a firm hold on _Blackfyre_ , deciding to fight with just the one sword to get more practice it with just the one blade. It would not do he reasoned if he became dependant on using two swords and then lost one would it?

The drunk sellswords did not stay staring at their friends' corpses for long and quickly dropped the girl to charge him, acting more like raging beasts than trained and disciplined fighters. It was laughably easy for Harry to cut them down, moving like a dancer, he side stepped or parried their clumsy attacks before slashing at their exposed midsections or necks sending them to the floor in a pile of bloody corpses.

It was over in moments, leaving ten men lay dead on the alley floor while Harry impassively took a cleaner cloak off one of them and handed it to the girl, who was now completely shell-shocked at her near rape and then subsequent rescue where all ten of her attackers had been cut down by a single man. Without thinking she took the cloak and wrapped it around herself to protect her body now her dress had been ripped.

"Thank you Ser." She told him in Valyrian with a slightly musical tone to her smooth accent, typical of the city's native population. She started to relax now understanding since Harry had wiped his sword clean of blood before sheathing it that he was not going to hurt her.

"No problem at all my lady, my name is Harry and I am glad that I was able to help." Harry said with a kind smile that made the girl blush slightly. "Might I ask your name before I escort you home? The streets as you well know are not safe and I would not be able to forgive myself should something happen to you." Harry said and the girl's blush deepened before she answered.

"I am Joanna my lord, Joanna Vaena."

Vaena Harry thought with astonishment, now what were the chances of him running into them? He had of course seen their tower in the remains of Valyria and knew the family had been absent during the Doom which led to their survival but judging by the simple and inelegant dress the girl had been wearing, like House Baelerys times had not been kind. Still as he walked the girl home, he had to admit she would be a real beauty in the years to come while now she was very pretty. Silvery gold hair and lilac eyes with clear and luminous skin that would put a Targaryen princess to shame, no doubt what had drawn the sellswords to her Harry thought with anger.

 **-x-**

Walking through the now quiet streets they arrived at an inn just as the sun was setting, Joanna was instantly relieved to be home and the door was opened before she even reached to knock.

"Where have you been? We have been worried sick." The man around Harry's age scolded Joanna as soon as he opened the door before looking suspiciously at Harry and then her being wrapped in a cloak. "And who is this?"

"Harry saved me from being raped by some of those fucking sellswords that are always hanging about, then he escorted me home Samuel." Joanna said with a hard glare at the man who Harry realised was almost certainly related to her, an elder brother perhaps given how protective he seemed to be. Like Joanna he had silvery gold hair and lilac eyes but he was far taller than most men, standing at six foot five with strong muscles showing through his shirt.

"Then we can at least offer a room for the night." Samuel said still looking suspiciously at Harry but allowed him to follow Joanna inside the inn. Harry upon setting foot over the threshold was surprised at the warm and homely atmosphere of the room, despite being an inn there were clear personal touches around the room that you would associate more with someone's home.

A dining room was just beyond and around the table in the centre of the room, six more people sat waiting for Joanna and Samuel all with the blood of Valyria in them. All had the same silver hair and lilac eyes and there was a distinct similarity in their features.

And his eyes caught sight of a large shield on the mantle over the lit fire in the grate, old but well decorated with the image of a black hydra on a silver shield. Familiar as he had seen the same image on the banner in their family's tower in the ruins of Valyria, still had that banner in his home on Bloodstone, the sigil of House Vaena.

Quickly though he turned his attention back to the table and people sitting at it, Joanna smiled and introduced them.

"This is my uncle Jaehaerys, head of our family." She said pointing to an older man in his early fifties who turned his gaze towards Harry with a sharp intelligence and strong will burning in them. "Then my cousins Lucaeron, Alymys and Daemion." She said pointing to two younger men and a woman in their late teens to early twenties.

Turning to the others at the table, Joanna continued her introductions. "Then there is my father Willum and my brother and sister, Samuel who you already met and Laenys." She pointed to the last three people around the table. Harry was not put off by their suspicious looks and instead gave a slight bow and said cheerfully.

"Greetings, My name is Harry Tyrell. I was exploring the city before I escorted Joanna home after some thugs attempted to take advantage of her and will trouble you no further. If however you have a room to spare I will gladly pay for bed and board." Harry offered, while he did not of course need it he might be able to learn more about the city and their own story if he stayed here as his interest was piqued at what had happened to their family after the Doom and how they had ended up here.

Jaehaerys stared hard at him for a moment probably because he knew that Harry was the ruler of the nearby Stepstones but Harry did not budge or finch and was gestured to sit at the table as if he had passed some kind of test. Harry took the seat with a nod of thanks and settled down to eat the meal in front of him.

It took a while before they opened up to him but with a cheerful smile which amazed Harry given what she had gone through less than an hour ago Joanna started the conversation, telling him all about her family proudly and the one thing that was very rare about her family when compared to another 'noble' family. Each one of them even the women had a paid job.

The leader of the family Jaehaerys ran their admittedly small holdings with a stern and steady fist, whittled down by the mismanagement of previous generations and a string of bad luck, a few fishing boats, a few meagre plots of land and a couple of taverns including this one which was their home. He was clever and had kept their heads above the water and did his best to provide for his family with their limited means.

Joanna's cousin Lucaeron, the heir to the house worked as a clerk at the Rogare Bank, a bit of a charmer he alluded confidence and had according to Joanna charmed his way into more than a few women's beds. Smart but a bit wild although everyone thought he would calm down with time and purpose.

Daemion the younger son on the other hand worked as an apprentice alchemist and tinker, a bit nervous and unsure of himself he was nevertheless smart and dedicated to his craft. Their sister Alymys worked at the looms to make tapestries and had the skills of an artist but little time to pursuit her talents outside of making the tapestries at a pittance for others to sell. Her talent made her a little arrogant and at the same time depressed that she could not practice it properly but she was still loyal to her family.

Willum, Jaehaerys' brother meanwhile was an officer in the City Watch, far more laidback and open with his feelings than his stern older brother and was glad that Harry had saved his daughter and killed the would be rapists, giving him a firm handshake.

Samuel, Willum's son started warming up to him and soon made Harry laugh with a few rather crude but funny jokes, He according to his youngest sister worked in the shipyard as a carpenter and had a second job working in a blacksmith. The last was Joanna's older sister Laenys, a strong and stubborn young woman she had fought her way to assist in the running of one of the vineyards in the city while in her admittedly limited spare time she experimented with Daemion on making perfumes.

Joanna herself was apparently the baby of the family being only fifteen years old but she to do her part now worked in another of the city's taverns as a barmaid.

Harry warmed quickly to them too, making them nearly gag when he told them how many children he had and was sad to hear that Jaehaerys and Willum had been deserted by their wives who had gone in search of better prospects yet the two men had cared for their own children and each other's. They actually were a real warm and caring family as Harry watched them jape and laugh together, slightly melancholy as his own upbringing had been nothing like that.

However they all reacted with surprise when there was a knock on the door, Samuel went to get it and when he opened the door and Harry was momentarily struck by who had just walked in.

Jaime Lannister, wearing far more weathered armour than he had last time they had met and even stranger, at his side was his younger brother Tyrion both of whom were just as shocked to see him.

 **-x-**

"Lord Tyrell! What an unexpected pleasure." Tyrion said, astonished to see the Lord of the Stepstones here. Immediately his mind leapt to the question what was Lord Tyrell doing here? Tyrion himself had been with his brother to the Disputed Lands in mainland Essos where Jaime had done a bit of fighting, he smiled having never seen his brother happier or his sword arm better than it was now.

They were finally on their way back to Westeros and had stopped to visit Lys at his request to visit the famous pillow houses of the city and indulge in some of the city's excellent wines, leading Tyrion thought with a big smile to a very entertaining and enjoyable few days. The whores here in Lys were by many leagues better than any whore he had ever experienced Tyrion thought with satisfaction, feeling the memory of their efforts most intensely. He had ever managed to convince Jaime to partake and judging from the smiles his elder brother ad enjoyed himself too, certainly they were better smiles than he had ever seen him with after a private moment with Cersei.

He could only hope this would 'wean' his brother off their sister but he had a bad feeling it was a hopeless cause.

The Tyrell brought his thought back to the present with a smile that he could tell hid his own surprise at seeing them.

"Ser Jaime, Lord Tyrion. It is indeed a pleasure to meet you again. I take it you are in Lys like I am, to find opportunities?" Harry Tyrell said smoothly.

Tyrion instantly started wondering what kind of opportunities Lord Tyrell wanted. He would ponder that tonight but for now he nodded and went along with what he suspected was a half-truth at least.

 **-x-**

Jaime watched his younger brother and Harry Tyrell study each other, each trying to determine the intention of the other, honestly he thought to himself exasperated could his brother leave such things for just one night?

Still he had to admit that he too was curious about the Tyrell's presence here, just what sort of opportunities was he looking for?

He himself had just experienced a night in the arms of two women who had brought him to levels of ecstasy that he had never experienced with Cersei, too often it was about her pleasure rather than his. Maybe he should find a paramour of his own like his later mentor Ser Arthur Dayne had but he realised that any woman he chose to bed would be killed by Cersei out of jealousy. He sighed in resignation and would have to hide a paramour well should he chose to follow that path, a part of him loved Cersei without reservation but as his brother had told him many times…she was a user. She could only really care about her own wants and needs, sometimes they overlapped with his and sometimes they didn't.

His head unsettled by those thoughts as he stopped them in their tracks, not sure he wanted to go down that road. He was sure that he would not like what he found there. He had been seeing a new side to his sister in her letters to him since he left the capital with the king's blessing, not to mention that he had been doing a lot of looking back at all she had done before and what he had done at her demand and in hindsight…he was not sure he actually liked her really much.

He loved her Jaime thought with anguish but at some level he was starting to hate her.

* * *

After having some supper the Lannisters and the Vaenas went to bed, Harry locked his door with the strongest locking charm him could and set up his tent as best he could in the cramped conditions and pulled out his expanded trunks, shrinking them and putting them into a pouch on his belt.

While he could just destroy the building with a blast of Fiendfyre why not rob it first? He thought with cold logic.

Pulling on his cloak and putting up his hood, Harry apparated out of the room and appeared in lobby, now dark and empty as the bank had closed for the day. A quick look around confirmed no one was home and so he recast his notice me not charms just in case and got to work.

He descended down into the vaults and with a quick unlocking charm began to systematically summon all the gold and valuables from each one before moving on to the other, he was astounded to find that the vaults had only gold or silver there was no family heirlooms held here or assets other than valuable metals. Some vaults had a pouch of valuable stones or two but that was as far as it went for variety, but to his own satisfaction sixteen million gold dragons or the equivalent was packed into the expanded chests.

Out of curiosity though Harry did not immediately destroy the building, instead he went up to the main offices of the Rogare family who owned the bank and found the records room. Accessing the most recent documents he found their plans for expansion into Westeros and there in elegant script was proof that Lys had intended to pay Robert six million gold dragons and supply him with a further loan of one million after for the Stepstones to be transferred to their control, also to aid them in conquering their enemies in Myr and Tyrosh and support their claim to the Disputed Lands. It confirmed that Cersei Lannister had been most supportive of the plan although Jon Arryn was apparently ambivalent about it.

An additional contract had been drawn up promising one of the slaver guilds in the city the pick of the Stepstones' people once they had been awarded control.

Well Harry thought with relief this was going to stop his nation from falling into the hands of Lys and more importantly deal a blow to the slave trade. Since the sacking of Volantis, Lys and her neighbours had been competing to become the largest exporter of slaves in this part of Essos. The Rogare Bank had been planning to invest even more gold in this.

Any guilt of what he was about to do to the bank disappeared after reading that.

Taking any other documents of any importance with him Harry stood at the door to the outside and summoned up his magic, pointing his dragon ring at the other end of the hall towards the staircase to the vaults and said quickly.

"Fiendfyre!"

The result was immediate, a powerful jet of reddish orange fire leapt from his ring and down the staircase before he disappeared from the bank with a pop as the fire grew and took hold. Normal fire would have burned out quickly without fuel but fiendfyre would keep going until its energy ran out, he had only given it a little but it would be enough to destroy the bank. Men who had been standing guard were horrified to see the flames as they reached the windows but there was nothing they could do as the bank burned.

* * *

Harry was calm as he stored his stolen gold and packed up the tent with a wave his hand, not smiling but looking forward to a good night's sleep.

Then he heard the ringing of bells.

Knowing full well that the ringing bells could mean many things but at this time of night and the fact that Lys had no king or other single leader that cut down the options to one.

An attack was underway.

Outside the building with his swords Harry looked with shock and some anxiety towards the city's walled harbour, he found he was not alone as Jaime and the Vaena's too in various states of dress came running out to see what on earth was going on.

 **-x-**

Galleys with either a blood red tower that seemed to be bleeding of Tyrosh or the silver ship of Myr on their sails used mounted catapults on their decks to pound the already damaged gates of the city until they splintered and broke wide open in a fiery blast, men on the walls desperately firing ballista and crossbows at the enemy foot soldiers that started pouring through the shattered gate. Like a dark tide they swarmed into the breach and outward into the city streets. On the walls the outnumbered guards soon found themselves surrounded and quickly slaughtered as the enemy made their way up to them.

 **-x-**

The screams and sound of people running or being slaughtered filled the air as Harry, Tyrion, Jaime and House Vaena watched. Harry turned to Jaime and noticed him was still in his sleeping clothes.

"Have you got your sword?" He asked, shocking the fixated Lannister off the scene in front of him.

"Upstairs." Jaime said with confusion.

"Get it and get dressed quickly." Harry told him with complete seriousness. He knew they had maybe twenty minutes before the enemy got here and while he could simply apparate out of danger, there was no way that he was going to leave the Vaenas to die. Nor to be honest could he in good conscience leave Jaime and Tyrion to die either.

"He's right, arm yourselves." Willum said who already had some of his armour and sword to hand. Jaime looking worried ran to get ready while the Vaena's and Tyrion got hold of any weapon that they could find. Jaime rushed out with his normal leathers, not having any time to put on his proper armour and Tyrion had managed to dress as well but he was now looking far less certain of himself than he had only hours before.

Jaime gave him an encouraging smile followed by Harry which he returned although he still looked…unsettled by the prospect of being in a battle. The Vaena women had barricaded themselves inside at Jaehaerys' order while the men stood with them to defend their home and with the exception of the two eldest, they looked even more unsettled than Tyrion. Harry took notice and dragged the tip of his sword across the street in front of them, all the men standing there looked at him like he was mad except Tyrion who realised his intention almost immediately.

"This is the line, we do not let them cross it." Harry said fiercely, his eyes burning with determination. "This is your home, do not let it fall."

Tyrion actually smirked briefly, realising just what Harry was doing until they saw enemy soldiers coming up the road straight at them, they stood on the line Harry had made and held their weapons firmly as they waited what seemed a very long time for contact to be made. They got closer and closer, rough looking sellswords and yet all sound seemed to fade away as they waited for the moment they met.

They only moved when the sellswords were finally in range.

Samuel got the first kill, swinging his blacksmith's hammer with so much force that it caved in the skull, splattering blood over him and on the floor followed closely by Willum and Jaehaerys who had clearly been taught to wield their swords from a young age. Perhaps not masterful but certainly skilled and experienced and Daemion was using a crossbow he had been tinkering with to shoot the sellswords that came his way. Even Tyrion much to his own surprise managed to cut down a few with his axe, slashing at their legs and…more vulnerable areas. He was astonished and more than a little disturbed at the gore he was seeing first hand for a moment until he remembered where they were and what they were doing so he kept on swinging.

But Harry and Jaime were in a league of their own.

Swords in hand they were cutting down sellswords left and right, their blades slashing with expert accuracy at necks, arms, stomachs and anywhere else there was a vulnerable spot. Harry with his two swords in hand was blocking a strike with one before using the other to kill the particular enemy he was fighting and then moving on to the next.

Next to him Jaime was now moving with a fluid grace that he had not known before his journeys to parry, dodge and deflect attacks against him before retaliating with precise and deadly counterattacks. The Vaenas and the people that had gathered behind their 'line' all looked on in awe at the two of them who seemed to be unstoppable and it was not just at them that the common people of Lys were looking…it was at the members of House Vaena as well.

They were holding back the enemy, not only that but actually winning as the sellswords turned and ran as the bodies of their fellows piled up around Harry and Jaime who were so focused on what they were doing that they did not even notice the odd bruise that they might have picked up or if they were sweating. Their glares were terrifying to those who saw them, in those depths was only the intent to kill.

Harry kicked over one of the bodies with his foot and stared with cold fury at the symbol on the man's ruined chest, a cat splattered with blood.

Another he saw when he kicked over his corpse too wore a roughly drawn rose but not a gold one like his family, it was blue like the winter roses.

Jaime and Tyrion looked over to him and he said with anger.

"The Company of the Cat and the Company of the Rose, sellsword companies with equally bad reputations." Harry explained with a glare the corpses, "hired by Tyrosh and Myr to sack the city no doubt."

Jaehaerys heard him and turned to face the gathered people behind them.

"DO YOU HEAR THAT?" He shouted so he could be heard by all, their scared faces now turning to face him. "THEY WANT OUR CITY AND USE SELLSWORDS TO GET IT! THEY COME TO ROB AND BUTCHER US ALL. TO STEAL OUR WOMEN AND LEAVE US ALL BROKEN OR DEAD! I WILL NOT LET THAT HAPPEN WILL YOU?"

The faces in the crowd started to turn angry and muttering amongst them started, Jaehaerys and Willum started giving orders to those who would listen. Find the city watch that had survived so far, find any weapon they could and started using their great knowledge of the city to set up choke points and staging grounds to hinder the enemy and hold what they could.

Harry and Jaime shared a glance, the plan of the Vaena's for the defence of the city was good but armed common folk were no match for trained soldiers. They both knew it and neither was going to let them get killed for it.

"If we killed the company commanders, they would lose discipline maybe even leave." Jaime said and Harry nodded in agreement.

"They would be hard to get too." Tyrion said with a worried look on his face, knowing that they were planning something rather stupid but could not stop them as they left on their own mission. He could only stare after them as they vanished into the distance.

 **-x-**

Harry quietly cast a notice me not charm on himself and Jaime (unbeknown to his unexpected partner) so they could quite safely creep quite safely through the streets to find the enemy base camp, they could have just walked but since Harry had no intention of alerting Jaime to his powers he acted as though they were evading detection the normal way.

They eventually stopped when they found the sellswords had set up in one of the city's manses, they took the moment to study their entry and exit points and realised that the gardens provided the best means of access as there was only two guards on duty with abandoned carts to cover their approach.

"Once inside you find Bloodbeard, the one with the big red beard and the leader of the Company of the Cat. I will deal with the leader of the Company of the Rose then we escape and head back here. Agreed?" Harry asked with a whisper, Jaime nodded and then rather unexpectedly asked.

"By the way, what were you doing in Lys anyway?" Jaime asked with a grin and Harry rather shocked and annoyed answered with a question of his own.

"You want to talk about it now?"

"Well we can't when we're dead can we? So go on." Jaime's grin grew wider and looked at Harry expectantly so Harry sighed, knowing he was not going to let it drop until he got an answer so Harry gave him one.

"I thought there might be opportunities for business here, not to mention I needed to know if the balance of power around these parts was about to change. Are me and my islands safe? I need to know these things." Harry said and what was better was it was in part at least true. Given his proximity to the islands it was certainly credible.

Jaime thankfully accepted that answer so Harry decided to ask one of his own, one he really wanted to know as he felt there was more to it then he had been taught.

"Why did you kill the Mad King?"

The question shocked Jaime and the smirk he wore disappeared in the blink of an eye and in its place was a scowl.

"Why bother asking, Ned Stark told everyone. I killed him because he was losing the war and my father ordered it." Jaime said with a great level of bitterness that Harry found telling, making him confident enough to continue.

"Bull shit!" Harry said surprising Jaime who had expected him to just accept what Ned Stark had said without question, everyone else had. "If that was the case you would have done earlier and not cared a jot but clearly it bothers you. Something pushed you to do it so spill." Harry said with a firmness that told Jaime he was not going to give up and with a sense of resignation and finally wanting to tell someone his secret after keeping it for so long, Jaime's will to keep it to himself finally buckled and he told Harry the truth.

"He commanded me to kill my own father and bring him the severed head…that I could take." Jaime said with a weariness. "Then I learned as my father was sacking the city that Rossart was with the king, his chief pyromancer. They had been making stockpiles of wildfire for weeks but I never knew what it was for until then, all Aerys would say was 'BURN THEM! BURN THEM ALL AND LET THE USURPER RULE OVER A CITY OF ASHES!' And I just couldn't let that happen. So I drew my sword and I stabbed him and his pyromancer to death." Jaime said, looking Harry thought much older and tired all of a sudden. "Ned Stark came in and would not let me explain, he knew what he thought I had done it for and that was all he needed to condemn me in front of the Seven Kingdoms."

Harry despite the situation they were caught up in felt great sympathy in that moment for Jaime, who had been a very young knight put in a horrible positon of having to choose between the king he had sworn to protect at a time in his life where he had thought honour was everything and a city with well over five hundred thousand people in it. He had but a split second to make that call and then have to deal with the consequences.

And he had decided to save all the people in Kings Landing, from high born to commoner, from old to young and received nothing but condemnation for it. Harry honestly felt bad for ever thinking the worst of Jaime Lannister, he might have slept with his own twin sister and had three children by her which was disgusting to Harry at least but he was nowhere near as bad Harry had thought him to be.

"Then underneath, you are a good man." Harry said surprising Jaime who had expected condemnation. "One who decided to sacrifice his own personal needs and do what was best for the people around him, whatever else you might have done and whatever vows you might have broken you did the right thing…however much it cost you. There is no way of telling how someone will react to a situation like that until they are confronted with one." Harry said with a calm and certain voice. "Underneath all the bravado and nonchalance you are a good and decent man who can do the right thing whatever it costs him. Never forget that Ser Jaime Lannister." Harry said layering a slight compulsion charm into his words so they would stick. The poison that was Cersei and the masses that judged him might never be bothered to learn the truth but on some level he wanted Jaime to remember his words.

They were silent for a moment as the words sank in before Jaime, looking rather dazed and confused for a moment regained his focus and gave a small but unsettled nod. Harry nodded back and without a further word, took two knives off his belt and threw one into the neck of one of the guards followed only a moment or two by another aimed at the second. The two sellswords never knew what hit them as they fell to the ground, allowing Harry and Jaime to run right past them. Thankfully they were able to enter the manse without being challenged and split up to find their individual targets, hopefully the charm would help Jaime stay hidden until he found Bloodbeard Harry thought as he pointed his ring to find the leader of the Company of the Rose.

He found him in what had once been a treasury room, surrounded by stolen wealth and sat on a throne like gilded chair and resting his filthy boots on a magnificent goldenheart wood desk while swilling down fine wine straight from the bottle. Harry just shook his head as if to mock, no guards and he had his weapons on far wall cabinet out of reach.

Harry did not even bother with a throwing knife or even his swords, instead he moved carefully around the sellsword captain and grabbed his head before giving the surprised man a hard twist, snapping his neck. Harry dispassionately looked down and banished the corpse to the other side of the room before looking around the room and with a careless shrug, shrunk the desk down and put it in his expanded pouch…it was a good desk after all he thought, rather liking the idea of it in his solar.

He ignored the wealth as he had more than enough although he did take a sword that lay amongst the pile of stolen treasure since it had the black hydra styled into the hilt. House Vaena had once had a Valyrian steel sword _Truth_ and had to sell it to pay for a debt a generation or two back, they had told him that at dinner so given they were his friends he intended to return it.

As he left and sighed when he saw Jaime being chased by several sellswords as his sword dripped with blood, taking out his swords he went to Jaime's aid.

* * *

 _ **Two days later…**_

It had been hard won, but at last the city was free again, Harry thought to himself as he looked out from the manse the Vaena's had made their base. Smoke rose from across the city in places that had been put to the flame by the enemy and Tyrion had proven really useful in plotting buildings to tear down to contain the blaze and stop it from spreading.

But the cost had been high he added with a heavy heart, many bodies littered the streets and not all of them adults, nearly half of the city's population had been slaughtered. Fields scorched and the city's infrastructure devastated, wealth looted and what was left of their fleet destroyed.

None of them had slept much, there had been too much work to do in repelling the enemy while Tyrion and Jaehaerys led the frightened and displaced people. Willum, Harry and Jaime had been leading the majority of the fight but at last they had driven the invaders out of the city but with so many dead and the city's defences crippled they had never been so vulnerable in Lys' entire history.

House Vaena had been grateful for the return of their family sword and as Jaehaerys & Willum sat across from him he was unsure of the idea he was about to propose, they were a proud family despite their decline and that might make his offer repulsive however it was the best option for the moment.

"With the loss of so much wealth and the rest of the city in ruins, rebuilding is going to be nigh on impossible or at least painfully slow." Harry said with regret, Lys had been a beautiful city even with its dark heart of slavery and even if they ever did manage to rebuild it, it would never be the same. A fact that had occurred to both of them already. They looked grim and expected the work to carry on well beyond their lifetimes without the wealth to fund it.

"There is however a possibility." Harry told them slowly and deliberately, the two men opposite him looking suspicious all of a sudden but Harry pressed on. "I have troops that I can deploy here and ships to guard and protect Lys, I also have the stone masons to rebuild the city. I know of a poor house in the North of Westeros that has an abundance of lumber that could be used to restore your fleet and I have contacts at the Iron Bank that could loan you the money. Instead of taking decades the work could be done much faster and since so many of the wealthy of the city are dead, their industries once rebuilt could be yours."

He was kidding either, while some of the slaves who produced the goods had survived they had no idea on how to procure supplies, sell their stock or even negotiating with prospective clients. The members of House Vaena did and while if Harry's plan worked the slaves would be instead paid for their work and be free while doing it the Vaenas would own those businesses since they handle the general running of them.

They were intrigued by his offer but also were smart enough to know there would be strings attached, so Jaehaerys finally asked with his mouth in a grim line.

"What do you expect in return?"

"Bend the knee…to me."

Harry was half tempted to smile as they both looked outraged at the idea but he restrained himself and explained how it would work.

"A small amount in taxes every year and the banning of slavery, which is all I would require of you. You would be wealthy again and one of the most important families in this area of the world, not to mention you would have my protection from Myr and Tyrosh should they ever come back and I have a far stronger position to bargain with others for the resources you need. A fair trade I think."

Jaehaerys and Willum did not look comfortable with the idea although their outrage disappeared when they were reminded of the danger Lys was in while it was so depleted and damaged. The war in Essos might now be winding down but there were still places where it was being fought and their city was now more vulnerable than at any point in its history…they needed allies to not only rebuild but keep them safe while they were doing it.

Harry was their only real option they realised and reluctantly they agreed.

Harry smiled and gave them the magically binding contract to swear their fealty (although he did not tell them it was magical obviously) and said.

"I will get the stone masons here within a couple of weeks along with some shipments of food, the rest will be in place within the next couple of months. Congratulations Lord Jaehaerys Vaena of Lys." Harry said with a genuine smile knowing that they would not like to be beholden to him but he would not take advantage of them and allow them control over their own lands while he would only step in if they violated his rules.

 **-x-**

When it was finally time for the Lannisters to leave, Harry was there to wave them off but not without a gift.

"Jaime, Tyrion. Back to Kings Landing I take it?" Harry asked with a smile, in some ways sad to see them go despite them being from a House that was secretly his enemy. He had grown to respect them in the days they had spent together for their own abilities and integrity although Jaime's was challenged by his lust for his sister but perhaps in time he might come around.

"Maybe, I think we might stop at Oldtown on the way. I would like to visit the Citadel and see what tomes they have there." Tyrion said with his deep tone while Jaime just rolled his eyes, knowing what was coming next. "And to see if their whores are as good as the ones in Kings Landing."

"I will send you some tomes from my own library, a few are rare and I think you might like them." Harry said to Tyrion with a smile on his face. Tyrion's smile widened and with a nod to him Harry then turned to Jaime and smiled as neither had seen the bundled tied to his back.

"I honestly fought with some of the best warriors in the world and you have truly impressed me with your skill, so I would like to give you this." Harry said, pulling the bundle off his back and handing it to Jaime who looked at it bemused as he unwrapped it. Then when he saw it was a sword that seemed vaguely familiar his expression changed, then he gasped in surprise when he pulled it from its sheath and saw just which sword it was.

"I recovered _Brightroar_ when I was travelling around Essos. I was intending to open negotiations with your father to return it but with the attempted murder of my brother by his monster…well it created an issue there." Harry explained truthfully, although Jaime and even Tyrion were staring in amazement at the sword as Jaime gave it an experimental wave. "I therefore give it to you for the skill you showed in defending this city, use it well." Harry told Jaime who honesty looked shell-shocked as he shook Harry's hand in thanks.

Hopefully that should get House Lannister off my back for a while, Harry thought with a hopeful relief.

* * *

 _ **Braavos, a few days later…**_

Tycho was very surprised when Harry arrived in Braavos with chests of stolen wealth, news had of course already reached him of the raid on Lys and he had to admit the coincidence was fortuitous as it covered their tracks very well. The chests of gold would be very advantageous in the times ahead and allow them the credit to expand their operations, he was broken from his planning for the future by a stern look from Harry Tyrell.

"I trust the Iron Bank will be willing to give a loan to House Vaena so they can rebuild their city." Harry told him with a glare that could have cut stone. "They are now my vassals after all."

"Of course, the city's industries once restored will see a good steady return on our investment and thanks to you we now have much in additional funds." Tycho said with a smile that seemed nearly sinister to Harry's eyes but he could detect no threat, it was simply how Tycho was he realised so he nodded in response. "I have something to give you." Tycho said and pulled a small key made of gold. "This is your key, all of our members have one and this will open your vault in the bank, however you must keep your association with us secret as you can aid us in matters our traditional allies cannot and still receive the benefits of our assistance quietly." Tycho told him and Harry nodded again.

"Then may we always have our due." Harry said and Tycho's mouth quirked upwards slightly as he appreciated the jest.

"Indeed, welcome to the Iron Bank Harry Tyrell."

* * *

 _ **Sunspear, Dorne…**_

Rhaenys meanwhile was sitting the Water Gardens of her family's ancestral home, enjoying the cool breeze as her young children played with her cousins while she, Kanoro and Ellaria watched. She had dreamt of this place since she was a little girl, all the stories she half remembered her mother telling her or the texts she had read about Dorne.

They did not however describe the strange feeling that had come over her the moment she had set foot here, it honestly made her smile just feeling the breeze. Stepping out onto the hot sands she had felt an elemental connection with this place. She had danced with her Uncle Oberyn, her cousin Trystane and Ellaria with wild abandon in those sands and nearly wept when her uncle had told her she was just like her mother when they had danced together here as children.

She had met her other Uncle Doran who despite being prepared by his brother had wept himself at the sight of her, cradling her hands and kissing them like precious jewels with eyes glistening. He had been even more struck with emotion at the sight of his grandnephews and grandnieces, her daughters reminding him of both Rhaenys herself and her mother at that age.

The Sand Snakes were like a phalanx around her from the moment she had arrived, weapons hidden around their person, ready to whip them out at the slightest threat to her or her children but she had won their respect when she had whipped out her _Lady Talon_ and caught them off guard. Obara was too serious to be much fun but Nymeria and Tyene were much easier going and they shared much laughter over their experiences with men although she point-blank refused to let them sleep with Harry. She did not want to find her husband poisoned the morning after as Tyene in particular had done to several of her former partners.

Trystane, her only male cousin was adorable she thought, while had many features she could image in a younger version of their uncle Oberyn he was kind and sweet. He did not have a malicious bone in his body and was she thought more a romantic at heart than anything else. Whatever girl managed to capture his heart would hold it forever, Rhaenys smiled.

Not sure if he would be a good leader or general but he would be one hell of a husband.

One thing that had worried her was when Doran had introduced her (as her real self) to several of the Dornish houses that he was closest too like the Daynes, Allyrions and Yronwoods. It had been niggling at her that the more people that knew of her survival, the more likely the Baratheons or Lannisters would learn of it but it eased her concerns when they had greeted her like a Princess and swore to keep her secret safe. Many of them had known her mother and been enraged at her murder, it had disappointed them that she was already married as they had she thought with amusement wanted to marry her into their own families but it still warmed her heart.

She sighed as she sat back in her chair, feeling more at peace with herself than she had for a long time. While Bloodstone was her married home and she would be content as its lady for the rest of her days alongside her husband, a part of her heart it seemed belonged to Dorne making her smile as she felt all the strength that flowed throughout this land…strength that had fought off dragons and armies for generations without breaking.

She was looking forward to seeing Harry when she and the children returned to Bloodstone, not just because she was missing him terribly and wanted to try out a few 'tricks' her cousins had told her about that would surely make Harry blush as they had her, but also because she had a request to make. Playing with the medallion her uncle had given her saying it was rightfully hers, she stared at the three headed dragon made of rubies surrounded by cut dragonglass. It had she was told belonged to her father's family for generations and had come into the possession of House Martell when it was brought here by the original Princess Daenerys Targaryen when she had married Prince Maron Martell (for whom he had these Water Gardens built) to bring Dorne under the Iron Throne.

She had always avoided asking Harry to bring forth the spirits of any member of her father's family, her hatred of them still too strong to cope with the idea but since coming here…she had felt calmer in her own skin and at peace with her heritage and there were still questions she wanted answering.

It was time to confront her father.

* * *

 _Again I am sorry that this chapter was so late, work on it was slowed by the computer problems. I hope that you all liked it though._

 _I was only going to give Harry one of the Three Sisters originally but the poll has made me rethink that. However he will not be going to war just yet, he is not a war monger and will only move with a reason other than conquest._

 _ **Next Chapter**_ _– Rhaenys faces her dead father and Harry makes a trip north._


	18. Chapter 18 Revelations and Cold Winds

_**Disclaimer**_ _= I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones_

 _Sorry for the delay but I am still getting to grips with the new computer I had to get after my last one broke, add writer's block and the rush to get things ready for Christmas and you get behind._

 _Still I want to wish everyone a Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year, this has been a great experience writing this story and I can't wait to get started on Chapter 19._

 _Rhaegar Bashing – Sorry to anyone who is a fan of the character but he will not be a good guy in this story._

 _This is the last chapter before we catch up with the main series, so after this we are in Season 1._

 **Chapter 18 – Revelations and Cold Winds**

 _ **Bloodstone, the Stepstones…**_

Harry sat with his children as they played around the main hall, smiling wide as he indulged in their childish enjoyment of the moment. No plots...no danger...just uninhibited joy.

Such moments as these were few and far between these days Harry thought sadly, his eldest son and daughter Jasen & Elinor were both now walking and was speaking with surprising skill for their age bringing a lump to Harry's throat as it was a painful reminder that his children were growing up quicker than he would like. He loved them all and on the one hand wished that they could stay children but knew on the other hand that this was not possible and he was proud of them. Just as he was of the dragons that were still growing and would one day make the Targaryen dragons look small in comparison he was sure.

The addition of Lys to their small kingdom had not gone unnoticed, a sharp letter of rebuke had arrived from Jon Arryn which had Harry laughing for hours. 'Upsetting the apple cart' as it were really riled up the old man but Harry did not care, the old Arryn lord had been about to throw himself behind a plan that would have seen Harry and his people reduced to slaves so what consideration did he deserve? Harry thought with anger but did not show it so he did not scare his young children. The stone masons were already hard at work there rebuilding the buildings of the city and the use of potions he had provided had revived their vineyards and other growing land, which would allow them to start growing their own food and making wines to sell again.

The only hiccup in the plan was that the supplies of lumber to rebuild the Lys merchant fleet had not arrived yet which brought a frown to Harry's face, the Mormonts who Harry had sent ravens too did not seem to be cooperating and so he would have to go to Bear Island and see just what the hell was going on.

Aside from that Harry thought with relief there were no problems, his investments were doing well, trade was up and their web of allies was slowly expanding. The only real concern he had was his wife.

Rhaenys had been very distant since she had returned from Dorne, Harry had been worried that something might have happened there but Kanoro had assured him nothing had upset her, in fact she had seemed more at peace that Harry had ever seen her except when she was with their children. In fact she had even started to delve into the Targaryen journals that they had recovered in Volantis with a gusto that had surprised all of them, forgetting her aversion to her Targaryen heritage at least on that level.

Speaking of which, here she was Harry thought as his wife came into the main hall.

"Mummy!" Jasen and Elinor cried out in excitement at the sight of their mother, rushing towards her as fast as their little legs could carry them. Rhaenys bend down to catch them both in her arms and hugged them tightly while a wide smile appeared on her face. Their other children all slowly walked or crawled to her and she gathered them all around her, kissing each of them on the head while Harry watched with a smile although he gave Rhaenys a questioning look when he caught her eye. She gave him a smile that was supposed to be comforting but it did not ease Harry's concerns.

 **-x-**

Later that night as they prepared for bed, Rhaenys finally told Harry in private what he been occupying her mind.

"Harry, you can summon anyone with that ring can't you?" She nervously asked Harry who immediately became tense as he worried she was going to ask him to summon her mother again.

"As long as I know their name and they are actually dead then yes." Harry told her wearily, hoping he was not going to upset her but there were some lines best left uncrossed.

"I need to see my father." Rhaenys told him and Harry actually blinked in surprise. She had hated her father more in many respects than her grandfather, specifically for what Rhaegar had done to her mother Elia. Harry knew that although his wife had warmed to some of her Targaryen ancestors like her grandmother Rhaella, most still disgusted her.

"Why?" Harry asked not denying her request but looking on with simple curiosity and some worry, he did not want to see her hurt.

"I have to know why?" Rhaenys said her voice shaking slightly with emotion as she tried her best to explain. "Why he did it? Why he abandoned my mother, brother and me to run off with a Stark bitch?" Her voice getting angry at the mention of Lyanna Stark, while she did not know the role the Stark lady had played in the events that led to the Rebellion she had still been a contributing factor.

Harry was however very concerned about this, going in search of secrets like this often made you learn things you wish you had not. Whatever had happened could not be changed and might well be dangerous but he could see the look of desperation in his wife's eyes and knew she would not let this rest, so he sighed and asked her.

"Are you sure? You might not like the answers you get." He said simply. She nodded and said with an edge of desperation to it.

"I have to know."

Harry took the Resurrection Stone off his finger and slowly turned it over in his hands twice then with one last look at his wife, hoping she would change her mind turned it a third time when he saw how determined she was.

A form of a man of Valyrian descent simmered into existence near the foot of their bed, making Rhaenys gasp as although she had wanted this the sight of her father, a man that she had not seen in years and hated for so long it was nearly overwhelming with the wave of emotions that came with his appearance.

"Father!" She said breathlessly, words she had practised in her head suddenly vanishing like they had never been there. The spirit of Rhaegar Targaryen however looked around in disinterest before ignoring Rhaenys completely before he turned to Harry and asked with a complete lack of care.

"Why have you summoned me Tyrell?"

Harry's own eyes narrowed with anger at the total dismissal of Rhaenys who looked on, shocked and hurt at the rejection. She actually managed to catch his gaze and looked pleadingly into his eyes.

"Father. It's me, your daughter Rhaenys." She was desperately looking for a bit of recognition or emotion at the sight of her but Rhaegar instead ignored her again and looked towards Harry, not caring a jot that his own daughter was looking at him heartbroken and Harry was beginning to look furious.

"I demand that you release me! I have earn my rest and I want to return to it." Rhaegar said not giving Harry any consideration either and Harry instead became very cold as he spoke back to the dead prince.

"Not a chance, not until you have answered our questions, your grace." Harry said with obvious disgust directed Rhaegar.

"No." Rhaegar said looking angrily at Harry who did not finch and turning to the still devastated looking Rhaenys, giving her a nod. She returned it and gathered her courage before asking the questions she needed answers too.

"Why did you do it? Why did you run off with Lyanna Stark and abandon your family?"

Rhaegar visibly struggled against answering the questions but when Harry spoke, the deceased Silver Prince could not hold back the answers.

"Answer her." Harry demanded, Rhaegar immediately started talking.

"Because I needed to create the Prince that was Promised, I had to have the 'ice' to my 'fire." Rhaegar told them. Harry was shocked at the answer as was Rhaenys and Harry quickly asked.

"And was this 'prince' born?" Worry started to appear on his face, hoping that the answer would be no but Rhaegar proudly said the words that destroyed his hope.

"Yes, the boy that will rule Westeros and save this world from the ancient enemy once they return."

A son, Harry thought with dismay. If that boy made a claim for the Iron Throne then it could bring about the civil war he had predicted even sooner and unite several factions or divide them further, a war he and his would be hard pressed to stay out of. Rhaenys' existence was already known to an unknown number of people and while he doubted many knew of the second son of Rhaegar Targaryen it was a potential threat to his wife's survival and that of their children Harry thought, his mind running a few miles a second before he remembered his wife who was looking absolutely crushed at what she was being told. He crossed over and took her in his arm, rubbing her back gently before glaring at Rhaegar who was completely unmoved by the scene in front of him.

"How did Elia and her children fit in to your plans? What was Lyanna Stark's role in this? And finally where is the boy now?"

Rhaegar did his best but could not refuse Harry the answers.

"The girl would have married him to solidify his position while the boy would have been disinherited to secure my second son's hold to the throne, all wasted now she is wed to you." Rhaegar said not even bothering to identify his own children by their own names before he continued. "After the annulling of my marriage to Elia by High Septon Maynard Lyanna was wed to me so our child would be legitimate. Her unwillingness to go along with my plans was of no matter." Rhaegar said and Harry finally realised why Rhaegar cared so little for his own family.

His visions and desire for the Prince that was Promised had become his sole focus and nothing else mattered to him, not to mention he so sure of his own decisions as being the best way and expected everyone to simply follow them because they were for Rhaegar thought best, his own form of the Targaryen madness bound up with his own ego in being the one to bring forth the prince that was promised. The news that Lyanna Stark had been truly unwilling was another piece of evidence towards this.

"And the boy? Where is he now and what is he doing?" Harry asked noticing that Rhaegar had stopped talking. Rhaegar's face had he still been flesh and blood would have coloured with the effort at trying to resist answering but it was unfortunately for him...futile.

"Winterfell, he is at Winterfell being raised as the bastard son of Eddard Stark unaware of his true heritage or destiny. Lord Stark named him Jon Snow."

With that Harry banished the spirit of Rhaegar and he and Rhaenys just stood there as she cried into his shoulder, he honestly felt awful for allowing this to happen. Had she hoped he would have said that he never meant to hurt her or her mother Harry wondered? Or to say that he loved her? Harry honestly wanted to bring Rhaegar back to life just to torture him to death for the pain he had put Rhaenys through but he swallowed his own anger and just comforted his wife, she needed that more than his fury at her father at the moment.

They stayed like that for a long time until they lay down on the bed and Harry asked her the question he needed to ask.

"What are you going to do?"

She was silent for a while and Harry could almost see the gears turning in her head as she thought about it.

"Nothing, he is a creation of my father's madness. I can forgive Lyanna Stark as from what we have just learned she is innocent in this and I am not going to hold any hatred towards….my half brother." She said those words coming out like dagger blades. "I can live with this knowledge, I hope but I don't know if I can ever meet him without being angry. Not at him but this entire mess that our father created." Her face was unsettled when she said that and Harry pulled her back into his arms and kissed her forehead.

Her confusion was understandable, he would be there for her in any way he could but this was he thought a worrying new development that would need to be discussed with their inner circle.

 **-x-**

The next day using portkeys he assembled their closest allies and described to them just what they had learnt. The room was absolutely silent in shock at the discovery of Rhaenys' half brother, no more than Rhaenys herself who could not meet the gaze of anyone in the room but regardless they had to decide just what to do.

"I don't know if he will make a play for the throne himself but since he is a potential claimant I want the documents relating to Rhaegar's marriage to Lyanna brought here. I know they are kept in the Citadel so Alwyn if you could find an excuse to visit and retrieve them that would be best, just so we can keep the secret hidden for now and protect the boy." Alwyn nodded, completely serious as they all knew what was at stake if this situation was mishandled.

"Most Targaryen loyalists except for a few have proven unreliable, they would sell us to the Usurper for his favour if we approached them." Zara said with a scowl, bunch of cowards she thought which was echoed by several others in the room. "Only a handful like the Velaryons and the Darry's have proven trustworthy outside of Dorne, at least our other supporters make up for the shortfall though. Boros Wallian has just allied himself with House Mooton to bring the pirate haunt of Port Maril to heel which has strengthened them all." Zara reported and all nodded in agreement, they had a strong network but would it be enough? Harry worried although he kept that to himself. He personally would feel more comfortable with more support.

Then Rhaenys spoke up for the first time all day.

"If we do not have an army as big as we would like then maybe we need more dragons to compensate, we could train up some new dragon riders to expand our force potential." Rhaenys suggested, shocking them all with the extreme idea of increasing the number of dragons at their disposal. It had been difficult to keep the three they had already hidden and hatching more would only make it harder but Harry thought coming around to the idea, it would be a tremendous boon to their military might he thought with cold detachment and certainly make it easier to fight on multiple fronts.

"Who did you have in mind?" Harry asked, again surprising the people gathered who had assumed he would be against it. Rhaenys looked to her former ladies who shook their heads as did Kanoro for differing reasons of their own before making her suggestions.

"Aeron Velaryon and Daena Baelerys, you and Kanoro have been training them to be warriors and their loyalty is beyond reproach. I am sure they could be a vital asset." Rhaenys said and with a look around to see what everyone thought and was glad to see many relieved at the suggestions, happy that it was being received with approval.

"I will show them to the stored dragons eggs and allow them to choose their eggs before I leave for Bear Island, I might be able to learn more of Jon Snow while I am there." Harry said with annoyance at the long trip he was facing up to the North. Having never been there before he could not simply apparate up there or use a portkey and there was no way in hell he was going to use his dragon to fly there.

That left the traditional way, by ship which would take a couple of weeks at least Harry groaned. He left aboard the _Silence_ that night after allowing Aeron and Daena to chose a very dark grey egg and a purple egg respectively that Rhaenys would help them hatch once with her dragons providing the necessary magical fire and they were given the same pendants that Harry and Rhaenys themselves had once used with their dragons but no longer needed to ensure the two new dragon riders could establish their own bonds with their dragons.

* * *

 _ **The Bay of Ice, Northern Westeros. Two Weeks later…**_

Harry watched from the wheelhouse of the _Silence_ as it made its way through the bleak and cold waters of the north. The winds were very sharp as they lashed the crew who shivered even in their warm furs, looking towards Harry who was not acting cold at all and wondering how on earth he did it. The answer was of course warming charms but Harry was more focused on the waters around them as was the lookout in the crow's nest for potential ice flows that sometimes happened around these parts, after all it was known as the Bay of Ice for good reason.

Bear Island was a welcome sight when it finally came into view, slightly larger than Bloodstone it was covered in thick forest. The export of lumber had therefore become their primary trade although given the North had a few forests it was not sold very widely. The ruling House Mormont was one of the poorest houses in the North as a result and on the other hand one of the most respected for their fierce and brutal warriors having to repel wildlings and Iron Born attackers all the time.

The fishing village where they docked was typical of Northern simplicity, what was absolutely necessary and nothing more. Simple stone buildings with thatched roofs and a small number of small but sturdy looking fishing boats littered the dock. The suspicious looks sent his way did not bother him or his men as they tied up the _Silence_ and made their way towards the wooden walled castle called Mormont Keep. It was not as strong as a stone castle of course and would need repairs far more often as wood rotted but it was sturdy looking and Harry was impressed at the alertness that the guards and other members of the household showed when they arrived.

He was permitted to enter the long hall but when he got there he sighed in dismay at the outright hatred the women of House Mormont were glaring at him with. He was not unsurprised that they had not greeted him at the dock but outright hatred he could do without.

"Greetings Ladies Maege, Dacey and Lyanna Mormont. I trust the day has been good so far?" Harry asked trying to be polite to the current lady of House Mormont Maege and her two daughters Dacey and Lyanna only for them to scowl at him and Maege said.

"It was until you showed up Tyrell, now kindly fuck off back to your elaborate castles in the south."

Harry was taken aback at the sheer hatred in her voice and wondered what the hell he had done that could possibly have angered them so much, he had never to his knowledge even met a Mormont and was proposing a deal that could make them a good living. Why would they hate him?

Then suddenly it hit him.

'It can't be because of Lynesse Hightower can it?' Harry thought incredulously, the stuck up lady from the Reach that had once been married to the last lord of the island and through her own desire for rich things encouraged her husband to indulge in slavery? They had a distant blood tie Harry would admit but other than that all they had in common was the fact they were both from the Reach.

Catching the eyes of Maege Mormont he scanned her surface thoughts and frowned when he saw that this was indeed the case so Harry thought, getting angry for having to deal with this he told them with as much cold as an arctic wind.

"Clearly getting screwed by bears has made you blind then." Harry said and all three were shocked at his response as were the guards, his and theirs but Harry was not done yet. "If you cannot tell the difference between me and the whore of Hightower then you half wits need to get fucking eye glasses."

Taking advantage of their shock at a Reach man using such language when they had never even heard Lynesse curse, Harry pressed on with his point.

"I am offering a deal to sell your lumber and make a lot of coin, money you could use to actually hire a proper healer for your island and buy better weapons and more food. Recruit more fighters to defend yourselves from the wildlings and the Iron Born but if your are quite willing to stay the way you are then by all means I can find someone else. So fucking listen." Harry snapped at them.

Maege and her daughters did not like being insulted by this Reach man but the points he had made about the coin they could make selling the lumber did stop them responding, they did not trust him in the slightest but they held their tongues...for now.

Harry saw that he had their attention at last so he started talking.

"Lys is in need of a source of lumber to rebuild its fleet after the war over in Essos, you have plenty and I have a potion that can be used to make the trees grow faster. I will give that to you and provide warship escort to the lumber convoys to protect them from the Iron Born and ensure one of your people is taught the healing arts from one of my own people. I do this because Lys is one of my vassals and their strength is my strength and all you have to do is send the lumber and get paid. Only a bloody idiot would turn down a deal this good." Harry said finishing with the implication that they would be fools to turn it down.

The Mormonts were silent but although their pride told them to make him fuck off, they could not ignore the advantages of this deal. Their reputation in the North had been damaged badly by Jorah's actions and it had taken a substantial loan from the Starks to pay off the debts he had left them with. A chance to restore their standing and make their situation stable again was something that they could not pass up.

"Let us discuss between ourselves and we will give you an answer tomorrow Lord Tyrell." Maege Mormont said and Harry grimly nodded, knowing that was all he could expect for now although he took note of the fact that she had called him Lord Tyrell. A small measure of respect, well he thought that is a start.

 **-x-**

Harry was returning to the _Silence_ , now alone he not sure if coming here had not been a colossal waste of time. The Mormonts would never be his allies as their hatred of anyone from the Reach was blinding in its intensity and there was still his wife's half brother to think about. Harry began to feel weary of all that had happened over the last few years and all that was happening now, events did not seem to be slowing down and he could only imagine just what else was next around the corner. Was this what life was? He thought with his body, mind and spirit feeling more tired than ever, a constant struggle with no reprieve until you died?

He was trying to put those feelings aside when he suddenly felt a surge of magic nearby, he whisked around with one hand on his sword and the other had his dragon ring on ready to face whatever it was when he was shocked to see a raven with three eyes staring at him.

He stopped still and stared at the raven with suspicious eyes, the bird was not real Harry thought able to sense that much but the mind that was projecting it was far older and stronger than any Harry had ever felt with a great deal of magical power. His eyes connected with the bird's and a flash of images flooded his mind.

A Weirwood Tree larger than other standing higher than most castles, surrounded by snow.

A vast terrain that went from the Wall to the Tree.

An old man sitting amongst a mass of roots in a cave saying.

"Come find me."

Harry was startled blinking only to find the bird had disappeared, never had he experienced something like this and now that he knew where this supposed old wizard was, he could apparate there...if he chose too. Whoever had let him see those images knew that he could apparate and would in all likelihood be able to prevent him using it to escape if it was some sort of trap. Portkeys too would likely be countered.

But at the same time this was magic like he had never seen before, that of the Old Gods and a being as powerful as the one he had just sensed might be a danger to him and to his family. One way or another Harry had to know he thought with grim determination and trust in his skills to survive whatever he found there.

So with his guard raised and his swords ready, Harry closed his eyes, concentrated on the Great Weirwood tree and with a pop vanished from Bear Island.

* * *

 _ **The Great Weirwood, Beyond the Wall…**_

The winds here were even colder than those on Bear Island, that was the first thing Harry noticed after he arrived. Reapplying the warming charm he looked around and was astonished at the sheer size of the tree in front of him, yes he had seen it in the images sent to him but to see it with his own eyes was something else entirely Harry thought with awe, not least because and the very strong magical aura that was coming off of it. At the base where the entrance to the cave was, a small being came out and spoke to him.

"Harry Tyrell, the Three Eyed Raven is waiting for you."

Harry nodded in acknowledgement, shocked at the small imp like creature that could only be one of the legendary Children of the Forest, very large and expressive eyes and no larger than a human child of ten, greyish green skin and dark hair. Any other time Harry would have been excited nearly to the point of stammering with anticipation but that was not what he was here for today. So he followed the Child down into the cave and found it reassuring that although there were wards, none of them would prevent him from leaving.

After a trip down the dark and long tunnels they emerged into a larger open area with masses of roots twisting their way all over the place. It was hard to make his way to the centre of chamber where he saw a man far older than any he had ever seen. His thin and atrophied form tangled in the mess of roots around him, his skin looking so pale and thin that it could break with the slightest touch but what no one else other than Harry would see was the incredibly powerful magical aura that surrounded the man. It was so blinding that had it been an actual light Harry would have had to look away to stop himself from being blinded, a magic user that had been honing his craft for decades maybe longer Harry thought with awe. How much might he know? It was an intriguing question.

"So you are the one that has caused all the chaos?" The old man wheezed as he cast his blind eyes on Harry who could feel the intense magical senses of the old warlock tuned in on him. Harry was somewhat offended especially as the old man laughed. "Do not think it an insult boy, I am grateful for all you have done. While the future is still constantly shifting I feel there is a greater chance of survival in the Long Night to come and for that I thank you."

"The Long Night?" Harry enquired with a chill running up his spine that had nothing to do with the cold environment. Despite being raised in the Seven worshipping South, he knew the legends of the Long Night as well as anyone. A dark fable of a time where the land had been blanketed in endless snow and night while humanity and the Children of the Forest had struggled against an undead demon foe known as the White Walkers. A time when mankind had nearly been wiped from the face of the world and endless cold and darkness threatened to carry on forever.

And from the way this ancient magic user was talking, it was substantially more than a just a dark fairy tale.

As if he could sense his thoughts and probably could Harry admitted, the Three Eyed Raven told him.

"They are no myth and they are very much on the rise again, for thousands of years they have slept and gathered their forces while waiting for a time when mankind has grown complacent enough to pose no threat. When magic has become all but extinct and humans to greedy to unite against them, such as now." He added with sadness and Harry held his head in his hand in dismay, he had seen the world and knew the chances of humanity uniting together were very slim, groups of them yes but the truly noble that would be needed to lead them and guide them would be in short supply and worst with little to no magic in their arsenal. He finally understood the mural he had found in Volantis, made by the First Men to warn future generations of the threat and after all, the Northerners had not built a continent spanning seven hundred foot high wall to keep out wildlings and establish a thousands of years old order to guard it for nothing had they?

It might be naive of him to just blindly accept that these creatures exist with magic anything was possible, so regretfully Harry thought that he should take the warning seriously.

"I fail to see why I would make things easier in this war that you are so afraid of if indeed the Walkers return now? And more pressingly why have you contacted me? I highly doubt it was merely for a chat." Harry said with suspicion. The old warlock gave him a stern look and spoke with such authority that Harry could not help but feel like a boy again.

"Removing the Mountain will save many lives in the days to come, weakening those that would divide the land to take what they want and leave it broken. Establishing new lands and an army that might sway the course of the Long Night and bringing magic back to Westeros amongst other things young man. Do not underestimate the weight of your actions. If not for you thee would be no Free Slave movement in Essos and many would toil in chains their entire lives that now know freedom. The Martells would never know of Rhaenys Targaryen's survival as she and her ladies would die trying to flee their captivity if your men had not found them. All the pit fighters and the healer you freed would have died as sacrifices to the Red God along with all their children. The Stepstones would have remained as a haunt for pirates and thugs for centuries, Jaime Lannister would have taken far longer to find his own honour without your help, what could have become of the knowledge and wealth of Valyria had you not found it first and these are just a handful of examples. Had you not been there to alter things the future would be far more dire, do not underestimate your power to affect the scales for better or worst." He warned harshly, Harry taking that to mean be careful in case you make things worst which did anger him as much as it was a call to stop and think more. The fate that could have befallen those closest to him was a sobering thought that made Harry more glad than ever that he had been there to help them but his thoughts turned back to his second question.

"So I assume there is something you want of me? So get on with it." Harry said sharply, still unsettled by the power of this man.

"Leave Jon Snow alone." The Three Eyed Raven said firmly and Harry's eyes narrowed as he heard the words. "There are some journeys we must take for ourselves and your interference could prevent him from learning the lessons he must if he is the one we all need him to be. I am not saying to stay your hand in everything just be mindful that some things will and must occur, if not one way then they will happen another way and one that could be far more destructive. You will meet Jon when the time is right but for now, you must keep your distance."

Harry's eyes narrowed as he started to suspect that the real reason for the Three Eyed Raven contacting him now was due to their discovery of Jon's existence, but while he could understand the importance of keeping the boy safe there was a big thing that was bothering him.

Harry did not like making decisions based on the predictions of this old man, he had always distrusted people who lived their lives by trying to follow prophecies, Dumbledore in the other world might have done so much more to help Harry's own counterpart in preparing him for things to come but instead allowed many to escape prison after the first war with Voldemort and many junior death eaters were allowed to stay at Hogwarts despite the risk which eventually got Dumbledore himself killed.

In this world Rhaegar Targaryen's obsession with prophesy had led to a bloody civil war that had destroyed a nearly three hundred year dynasty, tens of thousands dead and the current ruin of Westeros under the Baratheons and Lannisters to name but a few.

Needless to say Harry questioned the intelligence of anyone who followed predictions of the future after those actions and he was tempted to throw caution to the wind and contact this Jon Snow anyway but wary of making an enemy of the Three Eyed Raven he stopped and decided his course of action.

"Very well, I will leave him alone but do not think I will be timid in current events." Harry said with stony certainty. The Three Eyed Raven nodded knowing it was all he could expect from him, Harry was then distracted from the old warlock by an inquiry from one of the Children of the Forest.

"Human, perhaps we might beg a boon from you in case we can be of aid in the times to come?" The one that spoke was the same that had bid him into the cave and spoke with a female voice, her large eyes hopeful and with a sigh Harry turned to face her.

"Yes, bare in mind it might not be within my power to give it though." Harry warned her with a backwards glare at the Three Eyed Raven. The Child then looked imploringly at him as she spoke.

"It is I assure you...Harry Tyrell." She said with a slight nervousness. "The presence of the walkers has weakened my people greatly and if we stay here it will only lead to our extinction. I know of forests on your islands where some of us could begin to rebuild our people, please could we send some of our people there?" She said her large eyes pleading with him to allow it.

Harry felt his heart going out to the small creature, she must be truly desperate to leave her home and put herself and her people at his mercy. Sympathy rolled through him and he was about to say yes when caution stopped him as once upon a time they had fought humans (with good reason he admitted) and his people might not take kindly to having a group of strange creatures settling on the islands. But he thought there were ways around that.

"There is a forest in the mountains of Grey Gallows." Harry said which made her eyes light up with hope so much that Harry wanted to give her a smile, reminding him of an elf his counterpart had once known. "I can set up wards to keep humans away from the forest so you might be left in peace and rebuild your people, but that is all I can offer." Harry said and the Child just starting smiling at him with such joy it was hard not to hug her.

"That would be perfect, there are caves that once belonged to my people there and it is more than large enough to suit us for several centuries., There are even Weirwoods there for us. Please, we would gladly accept your terms and it would save our people."

Harry relented, it was not everyday you could save a species from extinction and save a unique branch of magic at the same time he thought and with a grin said.

"Of course. I will make some portkeys to take your people there and install the wards myself."

Whatever else he might have said was stopped when he was rudely interrupted by the Three Eyed Raven.

"Save the Children of the Forest if you must, but since I feel that you do to take the threat of the White Walkers seriously, apparate yourself to the ridge north of here and see for yourself."

Harry shot him a look of reproach but it was ignored and to shut up the old man he did just as was suggested. Emerging into the harsh cold that was even worst here than any place he had ever been, Harry's breath was stolen away at the sight in front of him.

A mass of rotting and twisted corpses slowly made its way across a vast snow covered plain, both human and animal. There were even some giants wandering vaguely about but all of them were showing injuries that would have been fatal to a human and indeed were to them...once. Creatures missing limbs or even chunks of their bodies, even bits of their heads were moving around much to Harry own astonishment and horror. They moved slowly but in unison, nothing like Harry had ever seen before.

What scared him more though were the figures that he glimpsed on the hill opposite him, sitting on the backs of dead horses that still stood upright were tall figures of about six and a half foot at least. Some had white hair and all had the most tight and wrinkly grey skin you could image.

But as Harry stood there, his mouth open in a mixture of shock and horror he saw the bright blue unnatural eyes that gazed out across the undead army. One of them, seemingly the leader with a crown of ice spikes on his head looked up towards him and Harry wasted no time in vanishing with apparation.

The Night King blinked and then looked away, dismissing the human as nothing of consequence.

* * *

 _ **Bloodstone, Two Weeks Later…**_

He had set up the wards for the Children of the Forest and then with portkeys moved about thirty of them to the mountain forest of Grey Gallows which had taken up the rest of the day, a couple including Leaf, the one that had spoken to him in the cave had stayed behind to assist the Three Eyed Raven. Harry had given Leaf a portkey to take her to safety should something happen. The magical barriers around the tree were tied to the Three Eyed Raven and while he was still powerful his age was starting to tell. He liked the little creatures and with so little magic in the world, they were worth saving.

When he had returned to Bear Island the next day, the Mormonts had agreed to his deal. The tree growth acceleration potion had been gratefully received and a new series of crop rotation put into place, that way they could produce enough lumber to satisfy demand without depleting their forests.

But this was of little consequence to Harry as he sat in the vaults of his castle staring at the mural he had salvaged from Volantis, now understanding its significance for the first time and it was...illuminating.

Hard to decipher in places it told the story of the first long night, how humanity nearly died out all together until weaknesses in the creatures were found that allowed humans and the Children of the Forest to destroy them. Some of it had degraded but three specific weaknesses stood out enough for Harry to rediscover them.

A black stone dagger that seemed to be made from dragonglass and a metal forged from dragon's fire could kill the creatures, while fire would destroy their pets the wights. Decapitation or severe body damage did nothing but so far that was all he could read.

"So what can I do with that?" Harry said out loud since there was no one to overhear him. The early First Men seemed to lack more complex weapons, only having lightweight bows and spears with daggers and occasionally swords or axes. They often lost many taking down even one walker or a few wights.

Harry had access to a but more technology than they did so on a piece of parchment he drew down a few ideas that he would give to Alwyn when he returned from the Citadel. His friend would be far better at making these things into a reality than Harry would himself.

The crossbow could do far more damage and fire projectiles with greater force than the First Men's primitive bows. They would also be far easier for the more unskilled men and women that might have to take up the fight should the Walkers get passed the Wall. Dragonglass tipped arrows could be a great advantage if the time ever came to face them, along with fire tipped arrows against the wights. Aside from that Harry made a point to make more Valyrian steel for spear points, an easy weapon to use it could allow several men working together to overwhelm and kill a walker.

He stopped once he was doing this to wonder briefly as doubt crept into his mind, why was he involving himself in this? His islands were far from the North and there was no way that the Walkers or their wights could get pass the Wall at present according to Leaf. So why Harry honestly asked himself such he do anything?

Perhaps it was his 'saving people thing' as one person dear to his counterpart had once called it, a trait he and his opposite shared in equal measure, his counterpart Harry Potter might have been more reckless that he hoped he was but it boiled down to the same thing. A desire to help people and save lives.

But Harry's more ruthless and practical side asserted it was simply preparing for the threat that he or his children might face one day, better to have the weapon and never need it than need it desperately and be left without.

Well, Harry thought to himself, the future certainly wasn't getting any brighter. Better be ready for when the storm hit.

* * *

 _Hope you all liked the chapter, a bit shorter than usual but it was a necessary one to set things up as the next chapter takes us into the first season._

 _Again to everyone that read the chapter I wish a Happy Christmas and a Great New Year, the next time I post it will be in 2019 so here's hoping it will be a good year!_

 _ **Next Chapter**_ _– Harry makes a return visit to the capital and meets a few Wolves._


	19. Chapter 19 Tourney of the Hand

_**Disclaimer**_ _– I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _I am still here and thank you all for your support especially to everyone who reviewed! Sorry it took so long but I hit a number of blocks that I had to deal with first. Some of you have asked questions and while I can't answer all of them I will try to give a few answers._

 _ **Obi1Nemogbr**_ _– Don't forget the long and solid relationship between the Mormonts and the Starks, Ned would trust them to take care of themselves and be happy they are getting coin for themselves._

 _ **Nolifeking222**_ _– Why has Harry not helped Shireen with her greyscale scars? Because Stannis would never ask for or accept his help, don't forget how unbending he is and that the Tyrells starved him for a year. He is too proud to ever ask them for help or believe they could help and Harry knows that._

 _ **Syed**_ _– The fate of Tyrosh will be explored in this chapter and while it would make sense for them to work together against Harry never underestimate how pride and ambition can over come reason._

 _ **Garm88**_ _– There are indeed a few forests in the North and while the Mormonts only have one it is good quality their lumber and they had a small port to aid trade which most other places don't. And Harry thought it would be easier to negotiate with the Mormonts as they gain a lot from the deal._

 _ **Hmason**_ _– The Forresters already trade their ironwood with the south, I think and their lands aren't big enough to suit the demand Harry needs to meet but he will encounter them eventually._

 _ **Albionia**_ _– I agree it is a stupid idea but I never attributed Cersei or Robert with an abundance of brains and Jon Arryn in this story is to interested in keeping the peace, seeing the Stepstones as a liability to relations inside Westeros (Lannisters) and their relations to foreign powers._

 _There is one matter I have to address and I can't decide what to do, what to do about Ygritte? I have a purpose for her but it is not essential for her to be there to make it work so I will be putting up a poll soon to ask for your opinion on the matter._

 _Set during Season 1 – Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things._

 _Warning – Coarse Language_

 **Chapter 19 – Tourney of the Hand**

 _ **Highgarden, the Reach…**_

From his horse, Harry could see Highgarden, his ancestral home coming into view as he and his guards including Kanoro came riding up the road. Its white walls reaching high as they got closer to it and the many towers, both Andal and First Men style went even higher up than them. Neither Harry nor Kanoro thought much of it, over the course of their lives they had seen too many strongholds for this one to intimidate or inspire them.

Riding through the gates which were already open, they saw sights that Harry had not since he was a child. The three rings of high white walls, the great Briar Labyrinth that he had once played in as a child, the many groves and fountains, the trees with fruit growing in them and the massive number of flowers growing around them.

As they arrived at the stables which were adjacent to one of the courtyards they dismounted their steeds, Kanoro came up to Harry after looking around with a dismissive eye at castle around him and asked.

"You grew up here? This is a castle meant to show off, not for war." Kanoro's tone was dismissive and Harry sighed, agreeing with him on some level as far as he could remember no one had attacked Highgarden since the Iron Throne was founded so who knows how effective its defences would be?

"No I was born here but I spent most of my childhood in Oldtown. A political move by my family and until now I have never been back, especially as my father hates me." Harry said with anger giving his voice a sharp edge. He did not want to be here, Highgarden meant a man that infuriated him...his father Mace. It meant Reach politics which were as turgid and annoying. The overwhelming ambition of his family...and the fact that he and his children might have to rule this place one day only made the potion harder to swallow, as with all the power it represented there was just as many problems.

He honestly wished he was a thousand miles away from here but out of respect for his grandmother, he had answered the summons to Highgarden.

The whispers that followed him as he walked though the corridors that he had once ran through as a child, sneers directed at his guards especially Kanoro which made him grit his teeth. Harry would have snapped at them had he not wanted to be out of here as soon as possible, settling with a harsh glare that made others step back intimidated by the vicious glint in his eyes that promised pain if he was pushed.

Arriving at the solar of his father, the knights on guard stood straight as Harry approached although they narrowed suspiciously at Kanoro, seeing their expressions Harry told his right hand man as he walked between the two knights.

"If those two give you any grief, feel free to teach them some manners. I will be out shortly."

The two knights looked at Harry alarmed while Kanoro smirked as did his men, making the two knights start sweating in a way that had nothing to do with their heavy armour and the summer heat.

 **-x-**

As Harry pushed through the doors to the solar, he was relieved to see his grandmother Olenna and his sister Margaery who in turn smiled at him even Loras gave him a friendly nod which Harry returned. Their relationship was still not really in any way brotherly but they now respected each other a lot more.

The empty space where their mother had once been made a dull ache in his heart, especially as he had not seen her before he left on his travels but he had come to terms with that and had even summoned her ghost so she could meet her grandchildren. She had adored them and wished him the best, giving him closure on that at least.

However sitting behind his rosewood desk looking as pompous as ever was the man that Harry wanted to see the least. He had gained even more weight since they had last met, not surprising since it was nearly eight years ago Harry thought with anger. Mace Tyrell might not be as big as Robert Baratheon but he was a close second, the sneer he gave Harry the moment he entered silenced any hopes that Harry might have held that his father could have mellowed since they had last spoken.

The other three in the room stared curiously at what might be said but Harry took a seat and said nothing, sitting casually and relaxed as he waited for whatever they had summoned him for.

Seeing that for the moment things were calm, Olenna started talking.

"Well since the idiotic beast Baratheon has rejected our plan to replace the bitch Cersei with our own sweet rose." Olenna said without any care or concern, after all it was in private and no one here would say a word. Harry smiled, loving his grandmother's sharp tongue...no one other than his wife and Kanoro would speak their minds as truly or forcefully as her. Margaery was smiling too although she still had some sense of social norms and said.

"Grandmother!" Her voice was full of mocking humour but Olenna waved it aside and got to the heart of the matter.

"We have only our alliance with Renly Baratheon as a route to power, which is about as much use as a hole in the head." Olenna finished and while Loras smarted at the insult towards his lover, Mace seemingly swelling much like a pufferfish with his own self importance put his idiot thoughts forward.

"Then we make Renly king with Margaery as his queen once Robert Baratheon dies. The might of the Reach and the Stormlands would sweep away opposition, our position at court would be unassailable and finally a Tyrell would sit on the Iron Throne." Mace finished thinking of a grandson of his ruling all of Westeros. Loras was actually nodding slowly in acceptance of the idea while Margaery just looked at them with slight surprise at her father's plan. Harry and Olenna though were exasperated at his foolishness and before Olenna could say anything Harry shocked them by beating her too it.

"Need I remind you...father." Harry said the last word coming out almost painfully. "That Renly only knows one place to put his 'sword' which is up men's arses or in their mouths. He could not even get it up in Margaery's presence not to mention Stannis comes before him in the line of succession, and he is after Joffrey and Tommen if you ignore the fact they are bastards. Not to mention Joffrey is a monster in human form and Tommen is a timid child, neither is fit to be husbands for Margaery."

Harry got up from his chair and crossed the room before he lent back against the wall as his father's eyes narrowed along with Loras which made Harry shake his head, hoping his brother would have more sense, then Harry decided to hammer home his point with a few further comments about Renly.

"Add to that the fact that Renly has even less idea of how to rule than Robert, he actually believes himself to be popular enough to rule through personality alone when half if not more of his own homeland think he is a useless prancing fool. He would have his army wasting time and resources on tourneys while they march to war, keeping all of them around him so sure that no one would dare fight against greater numbers and moving as slow as a fucking snail. I know you love him Loras but you know its true." Harry said his eyes boring its Loras's who reluctantly said nothing back, he might love Renly but Harry was very accurate in his analysis of his lover.

Margaery and Olenna sighed in agreement, his grandmother and her favourite student both knew his words were true. They had no good options in this game, Harry was a little tempted to reveal what he knew of Jon Snow but didn't. The boy would be even more reluctant than Rhaenys to take the throne should they offer it to him, he and his wife had seen that much when they watched him with the glass candle.

Mace however swelled up even more and turned a shade of purple that would have looked right at home on the face of his counterpart's Uncle Vernon, before he started shouting at Harry with furious indignation.

"SILENCE BOY! YOU HAVE BEEN NOTHING BUT A DISGRACE TO THIS FAMILY SINCE THE MOMENT YOU WERE BORN! FIRST RUNNING AWAY LIKE A COWARD RATHER THAN DO YOUR DUTY BY THIS HOUSE AND THEN MARRYING THAT FOREIGN WHORE AND RUINING OUR NAME WITH HER SPAWN!"

The air in the room suddenly turned very tense as Margaery and Loras gasped at what their father had just said in horror while Olenna just put her head in her hands, ashamed of her own son's stupidity...making an enemy of his smarter and sharper son.

Harry surprised them by staying silent even if his eyes narrowed and his fist visibly tensed with the incredible fury that he was feeling inside, it took everything he had to stop himself from either cursing Mace with the most horrible and painful magic he could think of or alternately wrapping his hands around the purple and bloating neck in front of him and squeezing the life right out of him but a voice inside his head that sounded a lot like his wife told him not to go to that level.

So with more will than he thought he had, Harry straightened his back and stepped forward until he was face to face with his 'father' actually standing a bit taller than him with a face as hard as steel and eyes sharper than diamonds, Mace actually took a step back as Harry started to speak with a voice that carried all the warm and caring of an arctic wind.

"I have travelled the world, built my own fortune. I gathered an army and took one of the largest cities in the world. I led thousands of slaves to freedom and conquered a kingdom of my own. Now I am a warden and lord paramount in my own right with sons to follow me and daughters who will be the most beautiful and sought after ladies in all the realm when they are grown. Aside from those that carry the Tyrell name, the heirs to Houses Connington and Jordayne are of my blood and I have a group of people that I know and trust at my side who trust me in turn, so father if that is 'disgracing the family' as you so put it...what does that make you?"

The silence in the room was so complete that the slightest noise would have been clear to all. Mace's mouth opened and closed as he struggled to come up with any words in response but was completely stuck like a jammed portcullis, the others in the room looked at Harry with surprise having expected him to shout back at Mace at least but slowly Olenna smiled and Harry gave her a brief nod.

"Since Loras will no doubt be attending this Tourney of the Hand that Robert Baratheon is wasting good coin on to celebrate Lord Stark becoming his hand, I will go too and Margaery and grandmother if they so wish. We need to know the lay of the land now Stark is in charge and I want my sister to understand why I hope she never has to marry any of the potential heirs to the throne. If she must marry anyone then let it be someone who gives her the respect she deserves."

Margaery smiled at her brother and while she might have rolled her eyes at his words, Olenna smiled too knowing he would do his best to protect her special rose. Loras struggling not to laugh at his soppy words but like Olenna he appreciated them.

"Well then, best get going then if we want to get there in time." Harry said with false cheer, not really wanting to go but he needed to know that Zara was secure and just what was going on. He also intended to install some monitoring charms in key rooms of the Red Keep which he could link to mirrors to keep track of what was going on there. The tourney was as good as opportunity as any.

With that thought Harry left, followed by his brother, sister and grandmother while Mace stood there just staring in confusion, not understanding what had just happened.

* * *

 _ **Kings Landing, the Crownlands…**_

The smell certainly has not improved.

That was Harry's first thought as he returned to Kings Landing, followed by pride at the lessened corruption he was seeing, all down to Zara and her tireless work. The gold-cloaks no longer added to the crime that ran through the city and nor did the people fear them as greatly, there were still a few rotten apples in the barrel so to speak but things were no longer as dire as they were especially with nearly a fifth of the city's population leaving to settle in the Reach, Stormlands or Riverlands as part of the rebuilding of devastated lands.

Still Harry thought as a band of thugs armed with badly made steel leapt out ahead of them, some things never change. He sighed while he and his men drew their swords, Loras doing the same but looking unnerved by the fact that they were being ambushed for seemingly no reason. After all robbing the odd merchant or tax man was not unknown here but they were a noble convoy with many men at arms to defend them, who would be so foolish as to do that in broad daylight?

Without further ado Harry, Kanoro and their men rode the thugs down with the expertise of many hours in the training yard and actual combat experience which most of the Reach knights accompanying them did not have. It was laughably easy, so much that they did not even work up a sweat and continued on to the manse where they would be staying for the duration of the tourney.

There to greet them on the door to the manse was Zara smiling widely as she greeted them, waiting till Olenna, Margaery and Loras had retired to their rooms before meeting with Harry and Kanoro in a private room which Harry casts charms on to prevent them from being overheard.

"I take it the Queen's thugs did not delay you too much." Zara said with a smile. "She has been fuming for days about you coming here, blaming you for all the misfortune she has brought on herself. She even has a big black eye on her face after the incident with the Royces."

"Yes you mentioned that before, what exactly happened?" Harry asked, he was intrigued as the Royces were a major house in the Vale and the only real family that could stand a real chance of overthrowing the Arryns if they were not so loyal. Anything to do with them was worth listening too right now given the current state of House Arryn with only a sickly boy unlikely to live to become a man now as its lord.

"It seems that Lord Royce's oldest son Ser Andar could not keep it in his pants and has impregnated the bastard daughter of Robert Baratheon, Mya Stone." Zara told him and Harry nodded, remembering the young woman that had started a large and profitable ranch with a loan from him. "The Queen learnt of it through Pycelle and Jon Arryn's squire and decided to mock Robert with the fact his daughter had become a whore, he was furious and struck her immediately before having Lord Royce, his son and Mya come to Kings Landing to explain themselves." Zara said with a smile that showed she thought the situation hilarious.

"And then?" Kanoro asked, worried for the young woman who was now pregnant.

"Robert shocked everyone by screaming at them all for an hour before legitimizing Mya and ordering Ser Andar to marry her." Zara explained and Harry was astonished at what Robert had done. Never had he even bothered with any of his bastards before and now he had raised one to his own house and forced Ser Royce, heir to Runestone to wed her.

"I bet that caused a stir." Harry said with a smile, old friend or not Lord Royce would be furious after the king made him wed his son to a bastard, Zara nodded and with a laugh added.

"Indeed, I honestly thought Lord Royce was about to rebel until the King granted him the position of Warden of the East until Robin Arryn comes of age." She had heard all about it from Ser Boros Blount who owed them a debt of a thousand gold dragons. "So the tourney is actually a double celebration of Eddard Stark becoming Hand of the King and Mya's marriage to Andar Royce."

Harry nodded before asking an important question.

"Have you found out who poisoned Jon Arryn?"

"Yes and it was not the Lannisters like many suspect, instead it was Lysa Arryn on the behalf of Petyr Baelish. He plans to rule through her and her son but this unexpected marriage with the Royces has upset things, not to mention their recent defeat of the Burned Men clan. They found a good sized silver mine on the land the clan once roamed and are already earning themselves a fortune." Zara telling him pieces of information that her spy network had picked up.

Well that was interesting Harry thought, Lysa must be even more in Baelish's thrall than anyone knew but a woman that still fed her six year old son from her own teats was clearly not someone without problems in their own head. The Royces rising to power looked now far more likely as Robin Arryn's health was so bad, they might not be an ally but if he had a copy of their original Valyrian steel sword _Lamentation_ made then it might create some good feeling between his house and theirs.

"Have you got your Portkey on you at all times? With things coming to ahead I need to know that you are safe." Harry told her earnestly, his biggest fear was that she was going to be targeted because she was the most vulnerable of his inner circle. Kanoro likewise was concerned for her welfare but she just laughed and said.

"Absolutely you silly man. You and Alys go on about it often enough and I am not like Stark, who blunders around with all the caution and tact of a raging bull."

While Harry was still worried she was not taking the threat seriously he pressed on, hoping his fears did not come true.

"I also want to relocate the orphans to our Reach territories, if this continue to become unstable it will not be safe for them to remain here even outside the city." Harry said, having already detailed ships to come and take them away. Kanoro and Zara nodded with Kanoro giving a small smile in approval. It was a much needed boost to Harry's mood as despite his planning, an unsettling feeling was descending on the realm.

The time of peace was coming to an end, everyone with any sense could feel it. Harry's only concern was were they going to be ready for the storm when it hit.

 **-x-**

 _ **The Following Day, the Tourney of the Hand…**_

Eddard or Ned Stark as he was known to his friends watched the festivities in front of him, feeling far older than he had before Robert had come to Winterfell. Was this how you felt Jon Ned asked himself? Watching helplessly as Robert ran the Seven Kingdoms right into the ground?

The changes his old friend had gone through since they were boys at the Eyrie were hard to accept, where once there was a fierce and bright young man that attracted young girls like a fly to honey, who had drive and ambition there was now a drunken wreck of man that wanted nothing more than to stay permanently pissed and cavort with as many whores as he could before he died of his heart giving out or so ridiculous accident while Ned did his utmost to try and keep things together.

So here he sat, watching pointless displays of men on horses trying to knock other men off their horses. This was nothing like a real fight, Ned thought these men had no idea what a real struggle to the death was except for a select few that had fought abroad or in the last war. His attempts to lessen the influence of the Lannisters only made his mood worst as the damned lions were all but unassailable here and the corruption was sickening to a man like him.

The North might not have truly prospered under him but it had recovered from the last war and remained stable, he was not the sort to waste his energy on grandiose projects and would rather be practical with his power and resources. The North did not waste resources which would become scarce in winter, that was their way.

He was broken from his thoughts by a comment Robert made.

"Fucking hell. I didn't think he'd show his face here again so soon after what happened last time." Robert exclaimed, nearly spilling his goblet of wine in the process. Ned followed his gaze to a small group sitting nearby, two women dressed in fine silks who were watching the festivities. Not uncommon but the two men with them stood apart with well made but sturdy looking leather not unlike his own and unlike most of the spectators they were armed with their swords. Not guards but not your normal silk dressed southern noble either.

"Who is that?" Ned asked Robert, curious as he had never seen these people before so they must be new to the city. Robert took another drink before answering.

"Harry Tyrell." Robert said with a slight look of admiration, causing not only Ned but his two daughters Sansa and Arya to turn and listen also. "I honestly have never heard of any rose like him before, ran away from Hightower to avoid marrying a bloody old woman, travelled the world, fought with the Golden Company, led the armies of the God Emperor in Yi Ti, planned then led the sacking of Volantis before leading freed slaves to conquer the Stepstones and turns them into a kingdom in their own right. Then he kills the Fucking Mountain and not too long ago conquered Lys but only after having about eleven children and becoming one of the most powerful lords around. What do you think of that?" Robert said with a laugh.

Ned's eyes as did his daughters zeroed in on the Tyrell in question, Sansa was rendered speechless at the number of children he had but Arya was looking with slight jealousy at the sound of travelling the world although her own eyes widened at the number of children he had. Ned himself was astonished, he had heard of the Tyrell who killed Clegane which in his opinion was long overdue and his other more famous exploits even in the North and been surprised to hear that he was a son of Mace Tyrell. His family was never known for being the most daring or adventurous and yet here was a rose that was more than willing to get involved in affairs and shake things up which was something Ned really could do without, with the tension building between his house and the Lannisters the last thing he needed was a dangerous Tyrell getting involved too.

Robert however only made things worst when he waved for them to come and sit with them, out of the corner of his eye he saw the queen scowl in a manner that nearly resembled a snarl alongside Prince Joffrey.

"Your grace." Lady Olenna Tyrell said with a slight nod, her face not bothering to hide her own boredom with the tourney although Lady Margaery Tyrell gave a more formal curtsey and a slight bow came from Harry Tyrell and his dark skinned warrior although they looked as bored as Lady Olenna.

Ned felt Harry Tyrell study him, his eyes were far sharper than Mace Tyrell's had been the last time that they had met, like his grandmother's who looked at all of them and then dismissed them just as readily. It angered him on some level, for this southern lady to be disregarding him like that but he was aware of her strong minded ways and even her lord son cowered in her presence. Her grandson it seemed must come from the same mould Ned thought, hoping nothing went wrong with them around.

Robert was soon talking to Harry Tyrell and his warrior friend and Ned was left to observe.

What did worry him however was the effect Olenna Tyrell and her granddaughter might have on his own daughters as they sat together.

 **-x-**

Sansa was in awe of the beautiful lady from the Reach that was sitting next to her, only a few years older they were closer in age than any she had met so far and subconsciously she sat a little straighter and copied the way that Lady Tyrell had crossed her legs and folded her arms. She was slightly embarrassed when Lady Tyrell noticed what she was doing and laughed.

"Oh relax dear girl, you are the daughter of the Hand of the King and betrothed to the crown prince. You can sit in anyway you like." Lady Tyrell smiled widely at her. "I am Margaery Tyrell and I would like us to be friends at the least. How are you finding Kings Landing Lady Stark?"

Sansa smiled wider at the friendly disposition of Lady Tyrell, no Margaery she corrected herself. It had been lonely here with few friends from Winterfell coming along and having someone closer to her in age that she could spend time with would be nice.

"Exciting Margaery." Sansa said with beaming eyes and a wide grin that showed her naivety, fortunately Margaery started talking and before Sansa knew it she was chatting to her like they had been friends for years. Cheering together as the dreamy Ser Loras Tyrell did his rounds.

Unknown to Sansa Joffrey sneered at her stupidity and leered at the more physically mature Margaery.

 **-x-**

Arya meanwhile was ready to get up and leave as the tourney dragged on and was stabbing her own fingernails into the palms of her hands in an attempt to stay seated. Worst she had to sit next to an old southern lady who would not doubt expect her to act just like Sansa, like everyone else did.

Only to be surprised when Lady Olenna called out during a pause in proceeding.

"GET A MOVE ON! I WILL NOT SPEND MY LAST YEARS WAITING FOR THE REST OF YOU TO GET OFF YOUR ARSES!" Her sharp voice shocked many others including Arya but it got things moving, Arya stared up in admiration for the much older woman sitting next to her before speaking words she probably shouldn't.

"I thought all Southern ladies had to spend time stitching shirts and sitting quietly while men did whatever they wanted." Arya said bluntly while Olenna surprised her again by saying back just as bluntly.

"And I thought all Northerners were simpletons that just believed in foolish ideas about honour but it seems we are both wrong there aren't we young girl."

While Arya did not like the insult directed at her homeland, she was so in awe of this sharp tongued older woman that she could put it aside for a moment.

"Why do men bother doing tourneys then? They are nothing like real fights." Arya asked, wanting to hear more from Lady Olenna who snorted before answering.

"Because it is a place for them to wave their swords around and show everyone how big it is, and I am not talking about steel ones. Just the insignificant things between their legs that they have such pride for." Lady Olenna spoke and Arya could not help but smile and laugh a bit at the rather crude joke. The old woman smiled now too and said. "I assume therefore that you are the daughter of Lord Stark called Arya, good gracious you do have a strong resemblance to your late aunt. I was there when she was named the Queen of Love and Beauty at Harrenhal and she was as bored by tourneys as you are now."

Arya was struck silent for a moment at the mention of her late aunt who had died long before she was born having caught the eye of Rhaegar Targaryen, her father had said she resembled her late aunt but little else as he found it apparently too painful to speak of her however much Arya wished she could learn more. It was also a reminder of her own ugliness which stabbed at her enjoyment only moments before. Seeing the smile fall from her face Olenna said quickly.

"Well spit it out child? Whatever it is that has upset you or just waste time brooding."

Arya felt uncertain if she should talk about her feelings to a stranger but she could not help but like the strong-minded woman who spoke with such authority to the men around her.

"I am just Arya Horse-face my lady, my sister is the pretty one."

A harsh laugh came Lady Olenna which only made Arya feel worst...until she spoke again.

"Utter rubbish! You are young and have yet to grow. Do you think my Margaery was always so beautiful? When she was younger she was a stickily thin creature with a face like a pig, then she started to sprout and look at her now and I will tell you my girl on pain of death if you speak of it to anyone else that I was much the same when I was your age. Sounds like your sister needs a kick up the backside to relieve her of her rather large ego."

Arya's spirits were lifted by Olenna's words and they started talking about things they thought were foolish and what interested them personally, Olenna was quick to take a liking to blunt and adventurous Arya reminded somewhat of herself at that age. In fact she was tempted to ask if Arya could be fostered at Highgarden so Olenna could teach her but the suspicious looks Lord Stark was sending her stopped that in its tracks.

Still she promised to write to Arya and see if the girl could become more than the raw and stubborn child that she currently was, there was untapped potential there.

* * *

Later after the festivities were finished for the day Harry and Kanoro spent some time in the training yard with Ser Barristan and Jasen Waters, sparring to compare their swordsmanship and give each other some practice for the melee which was due the next day. Kanoro and Ser Barristan were sweating considerably as they struggled through their own bout, but both were smiling widely as they faced someone that could actually give them a challenge after besting pretty much everyone around them. Jasen on the other hand was showing his progress as he held Harry off with considerable difficulty, Harry smiled glad to see the improvement in the would be vigilante Harry had first met on his original visit here.

Eventually Harry disarmed Jasen and knocked him to the ground by sweeping his legs out from under him, Jasen looked up with an irritated expression for a moment before accepting Harry's hand to help him back to his feet. They were about to go again when Harry noticed they had an unexpected audience.

Eddard or Ned Stark as he was sometimes known was watching them from the shadows nearby, Harry took a towel and wiped his sweaty forehead, still in good spirits after a hard but enjoyable duel and asked Lord Stark while the others continued their sparring.

"Can I help you Lord Stark? I doubt very much that the Lord Hand would waste his day just to see us train." Harry said, his expression kept open and honest while he studied the Northern Lord in front of him.

He had been expecting a dour faced and serious Northerner and for once that is exactly what he got, Eddard Stark's face was typically of the North slightly longer than normal with solemn grey eyes and a face that could be a statue in how stone-like it was. His hair was showing signs of going grey which given he was only thirty five was surprising in itself but with the stresses Robert had impressed upon him it was not so shocking. His eyes were a keen grey that seemed to shift in response to his feelings and at the moment were a dark grey that was guarded as he looked at Harry.

"Indeed, I need to speak to you Lord Tyrell. In private." Eddard Stark's eyes going to Barristan, Kanoro and Jasen briefly and Harry sighed, knowing full well this was going to be a difficult conversation so he sheathed his swords and pulled on his basilisk leather coat and walked with Lord Stark along the walls of the castle.

"The queen has been raging about your presence for days, I think it best if you keep a low profile while you are here." Eddard Stark warned him and was surprised by Harry's loud laugh.

"If you are hear to tell me that the queen absolutely hates and despises me then I think you are a bit too late for that Lord Stark. My family and I have already felt her clumsy attempts to humiliate, destroy or kill us, I mean just when we arrived a group of very unskilled thugs tried to kill us. Her finances must be rather tight to not be able to get good assassins or even hide it properly as it took my people only an hour to name one of her servants as the one who paid them." Harry said, offhand about the whole thing although he knew better than to let down his guard, even the best warrior could be blind-sided in battle, no one was invincible he thought sadly.

Eddard looked shocked at the announcement that the Queen had already tried to kill the Tyrells.

"And you never went to the King with this information?" Eddard asked with anger and Harry just shook his head at the man's naïvety.

"And you think it would be taken seriously? The queen would put all the blame on her servant and that would be the end of it, do you not yet realise that this city is a den of corruption and deceit Lord Stark?" Harry asked wondering how this man had survived for this long with this kind of attitude, especially his shocked reaction to his words. "You are a Lord Paramount, you must have some idea of the political implications of events like this."

Eddard was about ready to protest when something stopped him, the changes in the behaviour of Robert that he had witnessed since the end of the Rebellion and the Lannisters actions so far. All the corruption he had seen in the city since his arrival but he still could not believe that Jon Arryn would have allowed this to happen.

Harry was reading his surface thoughts and decided with annoyance at the man's lack of awareness to hammer home his point in a way that Lord Stark might understand.

"Even in your country there is politics, do you think the Boltons aren't still plotting a way to gain lordship of the North? That the Glovers don't envy the great wealth that the Mormonts have just come into? If the Umber heir will be as loyal to House Stark as his father when there are whispers he claims the First Night and tortures the wildlings they capture to death for his own enjoyment? If they cannot take what they want then they scheme to get it."

 **-x-**

Those words stopped Ned cold although he had to wonder just how the Tyrells were so aware of Northern affairs? Those issues he had brought up had unsettled him greatly as they were things he had never even considered before, Harry Tyrell then asked him a question he had not expected while he was reeling from that.

"Who do you think benefits from Jon Arryn's death? I know that you have been looking into it so I want to know what you think so far?" Harry Tyrell asked him, making Ned worry more and more that his family was surrounded by enemies. With two daughters in the city it was a thing that kept him from sleeping as much as he would like. All the same he decided to see what the Tyrell had to say, comparing Harry to the rather foolish and boastful Mace Tyrell that he sired him.

"I know that the Lannisters had the most to gain from his death, Grandmaester Pycelle would have been able to easily cover it up." Eddard started to say only to stop when he saw the Tyrell shaking his head in disbelief.

"Lord Stark...your innocence in politics would be endearing if it weren't so dangerous, while you have been looking into things as bold as brass you have only seen what a particular person wants you to see. The Lannisters would never have moved against Jon Arryn as he was too cowed by them to act against their interests given the debt that is owed to them, the King would never appoint Tywin Lannister as Hand and so here you are and you are now looking into a conspiracy that could well involve them. No the person that benefits the most from Jon Arryn's death is Petyr Baelish and Lady Lysa Arryn herself."

Ned was immediately angered at the implication that his own good-sister would poison her husband and was about to make his anger very clear to the Tyrell but the Tyrell started speaking first.

"Think about it. Lord Arryn was about to send his son to be fostered elsewhere which Lysa was completely against, now that is not going to happen. Lysa Arryn has been hopelessly smitten with Petyr Baelish since she was a girl and is rumoured to have once been pregnant with his child if Lord Tully had not made her get rid of it."

That information was enough to knock any argument out of Ned as he listened, never had any Tully spoken of it to him before but he had heard a rumour that Lysa had once been with child as a teenager. He was too stunned to speak as his preconceptions were torn away, allowing Harry to keep talking.

"Also now that Lord Arryn is dead and his sickly son is still a boy Lysa rules as regent until he comes of age, free to marry her true love and through her besotted nature Baelish will rule the Vale. And the most damning thing of all, less than a month before Jon Arryn died Petyr Baelish purchased some Tears of Lys. A very expensive but effective poison that mimics sickness and who better to deliver it than his own wife and who was it who told you that the Lannisters killed Jon Arryn? I will bet it was Lysa." Harry Tyrell asked with an intense stare that was out of place in the eyes of a man many years younger than himself.

Ned was shaken at the ideas he had been presented with today, he did not want to believe them but when laid out before him like that it was a far more likely outcome than he wanted to admit. His first impression of Baelish had been not to trust him, something in his gut had revolted at being anywhere near him and only Catelyn's insistence that he was a good friend had made him give the man the time of day. That same gut was telling him that the Tyrell's theory was true, a feeling his father had once told him was an instinct of the Wolf from which his house had derived their banner. Jon had always told him it was pure foolishness to believe such things but a part of him had always thought differently, after all how else would his family have survived for so long if not for some way to tell friend from foe even at an instinctive level.

 **-x-**

Seeing Lord Stark look so shaken made Harry feel sympathy for the man, but these harsh truths could one day save his life and a man of such integrity and valour could be a really useful ally in the future, not least because he was the uncle of Rhaenys' brother.

Harry knew the man was incredibly loyal to his old friend even if it was in Harry's view not fully reciprocated by Robert, he would not leave unless Robert was dead or he was assured of his old friend's safety, the only other way would be if their friendship ended and while Harry could see them coming to blows it would not end that easily. So taking a risk, Harry decided to give Lord Stark some advice that he hoped would keep him alive.

"It is not your fault you are unprepared for Southern politics Lord Stark, your teacher Jon Arryn if you excuse the insult was not a wise Hand of the King nor did he teach you whatever he did know about it. He was so afraid of conflict that he allowed Robert Baratheon to spend the realm into financial ruin, the Greyjoys to continue ruling after their rebellion and even now they are rebuilding their fleet unhindered and finally that the Lannisters have a strangle hold on power. He was so focused on keeping the peace he lost sight of how these things would impact us all in the long run, I know he hated me upsetting the apple cart so to speak by conquering the Stepstones and killing Ser Gregor Clegane. So instead of channelling Jon Arryn, perhaps you could take inspiration from Cregan Stark."

Eddard looked shocked at the suggestion, alarmed at the idea of the Greyjoys rebuilding their fleet given their habit of attacking the poorly defended Northern coast and wondered if holding Theon at Winterfell would be enough to stop them from reaving. The insults against Jon had been hard to swallow but given the condition things were in right now he could hardly argue with the description of his old foster father, the idea of taking inspiration from Cregan Stark though...that got Eddard thinking. The only Stark besides himself to ever become Hand of the King even it was only for a day and he had only held court for six more. He had put many things in place that helped keep the realm stable especially with the harsh winter that followed the Dance of Dragons, he had not been afraid to do whatever was necessary to achieve the needed stability after such a brutal war. He had made many enemies which had only hastened his departure back home but he had done much good in those few days.

His own father had actually referred to Cregan as the strongest lord to rule House Stark since they had bent the knee to House Targaryen during the conquest and one of the smartest, he was a figure that was greatly admired in the history of his house and Eddard could see the wisdom in following Cregan's example rather than Jon Arryn's. He still admired Jon who had seemed so wise and strong when he was younger but now Eddard had seen a new side to him that he was not sure about.

So he nodded to the young Tyrell, feeling very much that he was perhaps more dangerous than any other member of his family and while he had integrity, Harry Tyrell was ruthless and determined to succeed.

 **-x-**

Later that day, dressed in their finest the Tyrells attended the wedding of Mya Baratheon (formerly Stone) to Ser Andar Royce. Mya had look stunning in her white silk dress and even more surprisingly Robert himself had walked her to the altar and said publicly that the Baratheon cloak Mya was wearing had in fact been the same one that Robert's own father had put on his mother's shoulders at their own wedding. Cersei had been ready to spit fire at the sight of the Mya Stone being wed in the Great Sept and being raised to a princess when in her mind she was a worthless bastard and had they not quickly left the day after the wedding feast Harry would have feared for Mya's life.

That night Harry had used his magic to infiltrate the Red Keep and placed several observation charms around the castle in crucial areas that were linking to mirrors back on Bloodstone, designed to alert him if key phrases were mentioned.

As Harry went to check with Zara one last time before leaving the city, she handed him the communication mirror he had left with her and the image of his wife appeared instead of his own reflection. Harry smiled at the sight of her but she looked serious so he quickly asked.

"What's wrong? Has something happened in the islands?"

"No." Rhaenys said with worry. "The alliance between Tyrosh and Myr has collapsed and they are fighting again, some of their ships have even struck at our islands although we forced them back."

Harry's eyes narrowed and anger rose inside him, fight amongst yourselves if you must but do not drag our people into it Harry thought. It was time to go on the offensive to make sure they realised just who they were messing with, he realised so he asked his wife.

"Which of the pair is weakest at the moment?"

Rhaenys understood immediately what her husband was planning and told him some information she had recently received from Gannicus and Crixus.

"Both are decimated in terms of ships and troops but Myr has a plan to conquer Tyrosh without even needing to fight."

"How are they planning to do that? The dragonstone walls of the city are nearly as high as the ones in Volantis and the gates just as reinforced." Harry asked, even he would not lead an amphibious assault against walls like that without a considerable advantage so whatever Myr was planning would have to be spectacular if they thought that they could take the city without a struggle.

Rhaenys explained Myr's plan which their allies had learnt of through some escaping slaves that had been involved and Harry admitted it was horrifying but brilliant in its deadly potential, such things in his counterpart's world had shown that.

And he would make full use of it, it was time to use their best weapons Harry thought with grim determination.

* * *

 _ **Tyrosh, a week later…**_

Outside the soaring walls of Tyrosh the last remains of the two fleets did battle, on the walls war machines threw large boulders and barrels of tar at their enemy ships. Tyrosh had been warned by its own spies of the surprise attack and been prepared for Myr's fleet but as the two fleets fought, inside the city Myrish spies mixed together different chemicals which had been smuggled into the city in separate barrels for weeks. Once mixed as they had been told, the spies put the chemicals over a fire that started bubbling quickly and a yellowish haze started to gather over the cauldrons which had been placed all over the city. It began to move outwards from the cauldrons and into the streets and buildings, whoever it came into contact with started choking immediately as they breathed it in, the first victims being the Myrish spies themselves who had not been told of the deadly nature of the liquid. They could not breathe and they fell within moments as their lungs were filled with the toxic smoke which was carried further and further into the city, choking the citizens to death.

On the walls the guards did not notice the deadly gas at first as they were so focused on the Myrish fleet, nor did they see the three specks that were appearing on the horizon.

Only when they got closer did the sailors on the ships and the guards on the walls realise that they were no mere birds, their wings spanned as wide as a ship was long and would easily give a whale a run for its dinner. Their scales glinted in the sun as they sped across the clear and empty sky, their roars echoing louder and louder as they approached.

Sailors were a superstitious lot, often believing tall tales and customs that would seem silly to anyone else but even they like everyone else in the world believed dragons to be extinct, no living dragon had been seen in well over a century and they had faded into legend. So when three of them appeared, as large as they had been whispered to be and casting enormous shadows beneath them as they got closer to the two fleets. Men on deck looked up in astonishment, the battle temporarily forgotten as they stared in amazement at the sight that was straight of a dream or a storybook.

Only did they realise moments later that it was going to be more akin to a nightmare.

The three dragons flying in a loose formation broke apart and dived towards their ships, the sailors suddenly realising just what their intention was and started screaming as they ran around in a complete panic, not having the slightest clue as to what to do.

The largest of the three who had bronze scales was the first to draw blood, his enormous mouth opening to spit out a torrent of flame that was so hot that nearby ships saw their exposed tar buckets and canvas catching fire. The first ship to be hit directly was a big war galley that was blown apart by the force of the flames being directed straight into its centre, men not having a chance to scream as they were immediately roasted alive in the extreme heat but it did not stop there, the dragon did not relent its breath as it pulled up and instead hit another ship that was close by, scorching the decks and setting it on fire followed closely by another and another as its two follows added their own fire to the slaughter.

Men screamed as they burned, some tried to jump into the water but their wounds would draw sharks with all the blood in the water. The two small fleets which had numbered around a hundred ships each were powerless as the dragons dived time and again to bathe them in fire that was sending ships to the bottom with pathetic ease, if not blown apart then the fire would sink them within minutes.

When there were no more ships to burn, the largest of the dragons turned its attention to the men that were standing shocked on the walls. Not fully able to take in what had just happened but they some started firing scorpions and whatever other weapons that they had at the dragon as it approached but any of the rare hits they scored bounced off its scaly body but nothing large enough to cause damage found its mark as the dragon weaved and dodged its way through the air with the grace and majesty of a hawk or an eagle. It unleashed a strong stream of fire along the wall that near enough incinerated the guards and reduced their bodies to blackened husks.

None of them had even seen the people that had been riding the dragons, they had been too focused on the beasts themselves.

 **-x-**

Harry sat on Talos, in awe of the sheer power and effectiveness of the dragons. While he knew full well they were no invincible and he would always be careful with his as would his wife with hers he could easily see how three had delivered Aegon the Conqueror the Seven Kingdoms. The thrill of flying through the air had taken his breath away, quite literally for a moment but he had never felt as much excitement as he did flying on the back of his dragon.

The devastated Tyrosh and Myr fleets beneath them would no longer be a threat to him or his people and Crixus had agreed to send those in the movement who could not fight here for safekeeping while he and the rest of the movement went east to confront the heart of the slavery at Slaver's Bay. After the poisonous gas attack they would be of use in cleaning and then repopulating the city once the gas had cleared with Harry claiming it as part of his territory, Myr would have been next but with Crixus and the rest of the freed slaves heading east he did not have the men to hold both Myr and Tyrosh.

It would not be easy to hide what they had done here which was why they had left no survivors, Harry thought grimly. There was always the chance that there might be a few who could have seen the dragons but their dragons would be long out of sight by the time anyone else came, no one could clearly see it was him and Rhaenys on their backs and the devastation of their fleet would keep Myr out of their hair until they could be dealt with, Harry's eyes darkening as he looked at the scene in front of him. While he did not like letting so many in Tyrosh die it would make the conquest of the city easier and having its fleet in one place so it could easily be destroyed made the job easier. Good thing they had slipped that information to the city's rulers before hand.

His ships would be here soon so Harry urged Talos with one last blast of flame to blow open the city's main gate and then he and Rhaenys directed their dragons home.

* * *

 _Hope you all liked the new chapter and I be back hopefully before too long with another. Please let me know what you think._

 _ **Next chapter**_ _– Robert dies and the War begins._


	20. Chapter 20 Fire and Blood

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _Thanks again to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, some of you raised some interesting point so I will try and answer a few._

 _ **TypedSomeWords** – Yes Mya was a princess for a few days but she is still a bastard and a girl so I don't think she will be reaching for the Iron Throne._

 _ **Aesir21** – Olenna will have a part to play in Arya's education when Harry admits to having her._

 _ **Amerdism** – Harry at present if he draws on all his manpower can raise about twenty five thousand men and seven hundred warships. But that is everything he has apart from the dragons._

 _ **Coldblue2015** – I have actually been reading Fire and Blood so thanks for noticing. As for your questions; 1)Harry will reveal the dragons when he is confident no one can stop them and he certainly will use them sparingly when he has no other choice. 2) No afraid not. 3) Harry probably won't be on the Small Council but that will be because he has to be elsewhere. 4) Not for a long while I should think. 5) Olenna still wants power so although she does not want Margaery to marry Renly it will still happen as for later on in the story it could change. 6) Harry's children are only four years old at the moment at the oldest and Rhaenys or their other mothers would skin Harry alive if he tried to betroth them so young, not that he would of course. _

_The words of Harry's House have now been changed to 'Always Growing Strong', thank you to **Tellemicus Sundance** for suggesting them._

 _A few asked about Dragons and Harry will not be using them without a very good reason and only in the most dire emergencies. But they will not stay hidden for ever._

 _Shout out to all my regular reviewers who are too numerous to name, thank you for sticking with me. I only hope to live up to the hype._

 **Chapter 20 – Fire and Blood**

 _ **Bloodstone, the Stepstones…**_

Harry yawned as he sat at his desk, looking through all the papers that had built up in the time he had been busy dealing with Tyrosh, the aftermath of the gas attack on the city had been harsh indeed he thought with sadness with nearly three quarters of the city's population hundreds of thousands of people dead. Gas did not choose its targets, it choked everybody regardless if they were rich or poor, man or woman, human or animal...adult or child.

The last one brought a lump to Harry's throat, disposing of all the bodies before the heat made them rot and spread disease had been grisly work. Piling the corpses onto wagons and then taking them outside the city to be burnt in enormous pyres with over a thousand barrels of oil being used to made sure there was no danger of disease before burying whatever was left in mass graves. Many grown men had cried that night in their camps as the bodies of children no older than newborn babes were placed on the fire, Harry himself had shed a few tears in private before continuing to get on with the work.

That had taken days to do and word from the city was that some bodies were still being found even after a couple of months, the good thing about the fact that gas had been used was that the buildings of the city were still standing and useful but since only a quarter of the population had survived the gas attack it left many empty and the city's workforce depleted. That problem had been solved by moving in many of the Freed Slave Movement that could not fight and the families of some of their warriors. Around sixty thousand men, women and children now had been moved into Tyrosh, many of them labourers, artisans, seamstresses and more even farmers and fisher men which would at least keep the city fed.

One major headache which had kept him occupied for quite some time was that he had to find someone to run the city that was both capable and loyal, he would have put Jothos Velaryon in but the old man would not hear of it. An outsider would not be respected and he was reluctant to leave Rhaenys' side, Aeron was still too young and inexperienced to manage such responsibilities. Other candidates were considered before finally Harry had found a man named Tumitis who had once been a steward to a rich Pentosi merchant but still a slave and had joined the Free Slave Movement, that would give him a power base to start with being a former slave himself now he had signed a magically binding contract ensuring his loyalty.

With its fleet destroyed and none of the gold it had hoped to pillage from Tyrosh, Myr was not going to be a serious threat for quite some time. Harry had sentry ships and some spies of his own keeping an eye on things there. He might have been tempted to conquer the city but without using the dragons it would be too much of a stretch of his manpower, he could marshal around twenty five thousand men and seven hundred ships if he called on everything but that would leave his other holdings vulnerable so for now he could not consider trying to take the city without additional men.

This was convenient though as thankfully at last the Essos Continental War had finally ended after countless deaths and all the remaining Free Cities were hurting so badly that they would not be a real threat for years, many had now formed national armies of their own but were too small and exhausted to fight him.

Norvos had been destroyed, Qohor too although survivors had settled on the western coast and been conquered by Braavos which had also tightened its hold on Pentos and taken Lorath at the same time. The Iron Bank had expanded its grip and now operated in most Free Cities making enormous profits from the reconstruction but not everything was good.

The Sellsword Companies had expanded considerably and the remaining Dothraki were even more vicious than ever, in Slaver's Bay the number of Unsullied had risen sharply and it might only be a matter of time before they started fighting with the remaining Free Cities, starting with the now largely abandoned Volantis probably, assuming their first target wasn't the Freed Slave Movement that now stood with nearly two hundred thousand strong.

The situation in Essos aside, fixing Tyrosh had taken a lot more time than he had hoped and he worried how things where progressing in the capital. Rhaenys, Kanoro and Jothos had been busy handling the running of their holdings and helping Aeron and Daena train themselves and their new dragons Meleys and Caelor, a dark green female and a crimson male respectively. Brynden had even started designing a special set of armour for their dragon riders. Brynden and Zara had spent months designing it, made of Basilisk leather underneath rather than chain mail and Valyrian steel plate which had separate smaller plates rather than being one large piece to allow more movement. A Valyrian steel weapon that would be decided on the individuals' own preference, a dagger of the same metal and a bow made of dragon-bone.

Rhaenys had chosen a spear, influenced Harry suspected by her uncle Oberyn, he himself had his two bastard swords of course, Aeron had a long sword with shield and Daena had a light version of a Yi Ti sword known as a Jian. All the Valyrian steel required to make all the new equipment had meant he had had to make a lot more than usual but now they had a good sized stockpile ready to dip into should the need arise. Already they had made Valyrian swords from a number of people they were courting as allies such as the Royces and Rowans and many of their existing allies like Gunthor, Boros Wallain and the Martells had one already.

Just as he was thinking that an incessant pinging told him of an incoming message from Zara via the communication mirrors.

The words spoken were short and blunt, Robert was dead.

Harry nodded at the message, the false peace was finally over...now came the war.

* * *

 _ **The Red Keep, Kings Landing…**_

Ned Stark was pondering in the Tower of the Hand just what to do, his best friend was dead and the Lannisters were about to seize power while he and his daughters were stuck here in the city.

The short-sightedness of his wife in arresting Tyrion Lannister had been a major headache although thanks to the inspiration he had gotten from the journal of Cregan Stark that Pycelle had provided him he had instead of saying he was responsible, he had sent a raven to his old friend Lord Royce who had intercepted the pair and set Tyrion free and sent Catelyn to Riverrun...an action that had stopped Tywin Lannister from declaring war and burning the Riverlands but knowing him Ned realised this was only a stop gap measure but hopefully it would give his wife's homeland time to prepare.

Likewise when Robert had called for Daenerys Targaryen and her child to die, he had said nothing despite his disgust at having the girl murdered. He had not agreed nor openly disagreed so his house remained neutral in the matter, keeping the peace with all parties involved.

And when he had discovered the truth about Cersei and her children, he had not done anything so foolish as too confront her although he had prepared letters and sent them confirming they were bastards and that Stannis was the rightful king, doing so by himself rather than be betrayed by a servant as was common in this place or saying a word to his daughters. As strange as it was he had to thank Baelish for that, showing him all the spies who were around.

He might have tried to hold the city but already things were falling apart, the efficient and dependable Ser Estermont had been dismissed from his post and Lancel Lannister put in-charge who had hardly any wits in his head, Renly had fled and with no other allies in the city, Ned was preparing to leave himself. He had gotten together only what was essential and with what men he had left was leaving with Sansa and Arya today.

 **-x-**

Unknown to Ned however a man was scheming in secret, Petyr Baelish had been surprised when Ned Stark had started showing far more sense in his dealings here in the capital. He had imagined that he would have done anything possible to shield Cat from blame but instead he had kept his silence and acted to ensure the Lannister's release, stopping the war that he had been planning from the word go. And although Petyr suspected that Stark had discovered the truth about the queen and her spawn, he apparently intended to do nothing about it.

What in the Seven Hells was going on? Petyr thought with concern, he had thought he had Stark exactly where he wanted him only now he was not sure of what Stark was planning.

Baelish played with a pile of gold dragons as he pondered on just what to do, his plans were dependant on a war between the Starks and the Lannisters and while it was tense between them there was no guarantee it would evolve into all out war. So with a sinister smirk he would have to give them a push.

So to that end he called Vargo Hoat into his solar, the tall and lean sellsword might lisp or slobber as he spoke but he was sadistic enough for Petyr's tastes to create a suitable incident to start the war and deal with the woman that had vexed him more than once, Petyr thought with a sick enjoyment knowing full well the torments the Brave Companions and their disturbed leader would inflict on Zara Connington before they allowed her to die.

His disturbed mind even wondered if she was not too damaged then perhaps she might be a more lucrative asset to him when broken.

 **-x-**

Harry wasted no time in responding to the death of Robert, he ordered his forces to be made ready and locked down all his holdings outside the capital. However he still had to get Zara and her people out of Kings Landing.

Turning to Kanoro who was accompanying him he extended a piece of robe that was really a portkey to the man. Kanoro looked at it suspiciously and Harry who was growing impatient with his comrade's hesitance and said.

"It doesn't hurt, I promise." Harry said quickly, he knew his second in command was uncomfortable with magic on some level but time was of the essence. His gaze made Kanoro slowly take hold of the rope and with a jerk behind the naval they reappeared several seconds later in Zara's solar.

The screams and sounds of smashing furniture were the first signs things were not right, instantly Harry and Kanoro drew their swords and looked around to see Zara and a group of her employees trying to desperately to barricade the door until they realised Harry and Kanoro were there. Some screamed thinking the enemy had somehow gotten in but Zara who had been looking fearful, sighed in relief at their presence.

There was no time to exchange pleasantries however or even get an explanation as to what the hell was going on as at that moment, sellswords burst through the door. The women except Zara screamed, while she took a crossbow from her desk and shot a pair of them with her bolts but Harry and Kanoro wasted no time either as they went on the offensive.

The loud and crude sellswords had clearly not expected an attack and were laughing loudly in the expectation of women to rape and gold to steal, only did they find two swordsmen who were as ruthless as they were skilled. Harry and Kanoro easily blocked or deflected their clumsy blows before cutting them down, seeing his buddies killed one tried to run only for Harry to hit him in the man with a throwing knife in the back.

As he moaned in pain Harry and Kanoro walked up to him with faces set in stone, Harry stamped down hard on the sellsword's knee causing the man to scream out in pain as the bone broke.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" The sellsword screamed but Harry started putting pressure on the man's other knee.

"That's one knee, if you want to keep the other then answer my questions?" Harry said coldly, the man spat at him or would have done had he been able to get up face him. Instead Harry just raised an eyebrow and pressed down on the injured leg making the man scream again.

"OKAY! OKAY!" The man yelled at Harry and Kanoro who looked at him in disgust before Harry asked the question he needed answering.

"Who sent you?!" Harry demanded and the man whimpered before Harry pressed down on his ruined leg harder causing him to cry out in pain again until he answered.

"Baelish! It was Petyr Baelish and the Queen!"

That did not surprise Harry in the slightest, vowing to cause the slimy snake some pain when he got a hold of him when suddenly a horrible thought popped into his head. Zara was not Baelish's only enemy in this city.

"Was Lord Stark to be targeted as well?" Harry asked quickly, putting pressure on the man's ruined leg while Kanoro looked at him with a worried glance, he himself liking Lord Stark for his integrity.

"YES!" The man screamed and Harry cursed, using his dragon ring to cast the point me spell, searching for Lord Stark. It lit up when Harry pointed it in the direction of the Red Keep so without a word, Harry stabbed the sellsword through the neck and grabbed Kanoro by the wrist, apparating them both to the Red Keep.

 **-x-**

What they discovered when they arrived was a scene of complete carnage.

A large number of sellswords surrounded the Stark retinue, they sneered and laughed as the outnumbered Northern guards and one lithe and fast moving Braavosi desperately tried to defend themselves. Lord Stark was laying wounded against a wall with Arya Stark trying desperately to help her father. The scene honestly made Harry see red, he did not even hesitate as he marched into the fight with both swords drawn followed by Kanoro.

The sellswords closest to them did not even realise they were there until Harry impaled two of them with his swords and then slashed open the throat of another once he pulled his swords out of the guts of the first two. Kanoro slashed three men's arms or heads off before they even knew what was happening. Some of the sellswords turned towards them and rushed to avenge their comrades, only for Harry and Kanoro to strike hard and fast, knocking aside their clumsy blows and jabbing or slashing with lethal precision at the rough and relatively unskilled sellswords.

Blood splattered all over the ground as they moved forward, cutting a bloody swath through the sellswords until finally reaching the Starks and their men. Only Lord Stark, the Braavosi and Arya were still alive, Arya looked over with pleading eyes as her father lay bleeding on the ground.

"Help him! Please!" Her large eyes were begging and Harry frowned before making a decision, impulsively he grabbed Arya's arm and Lord Stark's and apparated them to one of Zara's safe houses. Arya was instantly rendered speechless as she looked at him before quickly turning her attention back to her ailing father, Harry wasted no time in apparating back to pick up Kanoro and the Braavosi who looked as surprised as the young Stark girl. Harry ignored him and the questioning look Kanoro gave him before saying to his loyal friend.

"Keep them here, I will get Caelys and bring her, if we can save Lord Stark then we should." Harry told him and Kanoro feeling relieved that was his intent nodded before Harry disappeared again with a slight pop.

 **-x-**

He returned with Caelys moments later and she began her work, the outward injuries on the Braavosi who Harry learned was Syrio Forel, Arya's Braavosi Water Dance Master were easily dealt with. The small sword tucked at the young girl's waist should have been a clue but Harry had no time for that as he and Caelys went to work.

Lord Stark however was in far worst condition than they had first thought, multiple stab wounds and cuts with more than a few bruises, between them and a large dose of dittany they were handled easily enough. However it seemed one of the sellsword weapons must have been coated in a poison that dittany nor any of the regular remedies could handle, which left only one resort.

Harry took a deep breath while Caelys did her best to ease the suffering of Lord Stark who seemed to be having trouble breathing, Arya was outside with Kanoro and Syrio so she did not see what Harry was going to attempt.

Buckets of water surrounded the struggling Lord Stark as Harry called on all the magic he could manage and while Caelys kept Stark hydrated with water, Harry used his magic to connect to the fluids in Stark's body. One of the techniques Harry had learned from the memories and scrolls in the Chroyane was removal of toxins from the body, he had studied it as best he could but he did not know if his limited experiments would be enough. He swallowed, nervousness running rampant through him and concentrated his magic on the job at hand.

It was strange Harry thought as he felt the fluids in Stark's body, he had no experience like it but the closet thing he could think of was if you put your hand in a fast flowing river and felt the current pushing against you. He put the strangeness of the situation aside and concentrated on finding the foreign substance in Stark's body, each type of fluid having a different colour in his magically enhanced mind's eye so that it was a dazzling array of colours that was making it very confusing to find the right thing until he realised it was concealed in the blood, small bits of green that only just stuck out from the red blood. He narrowed the focus of his efforts towards the poison, trying to get a grip on it so he could extract it slowly from Stark's body.

On the outside his own body was sweating with effort as he tried to get a hold on the substance and finally he smiled as he managed to connect with the poison and started to draw it out of Stark's body only to frown when it resisting him, he tugged harder but it refused to move almost like it was resisting his magic, feeling almost like acid as he touched it burning him. His face tightened as he concentrated but no matter how much he tried, the poison refused to be moved, feeling much like he was putting his hand straight into a pot of strong acid as he tried.

Then just as his control slipped he suddenly realised what the poison was. It was tainted with some dark magic that was resisting his own powers, his eyes bursting open and he gasped for breath, feeling tired for a moment as Caelys looked at him questioningly.

"What is it?" She asked him and he sighed putting his head in his hands as despair came upon him. His counterpart had once been poisoned with this same type of venom and only survived due to a phoenix's tears, something he did not have.

"Some of the sellswords came from Yi Ti, they must have gotten some basilisk venom from there and coated their weapons with it." Harry said sadly, remembering all the large snakes he had killed there. "It is the most toxic and dangerous venom in the world and there is no known antidote."

"None!" Caelys said looking at him with shock, he shook his head.

"The Chroyane nearly found one but they were destroyed by the Freehold before they could finish it, no one else has even come close and the only creature that can cure him has not been seen by human eyes for centuries." Harry told her. "In the early days of the Freehold there was a magical bird known as a Phoenix, also known as the fire bird due to its bursting into flame and being being reborn from its own ashes, its tears were supposed to cure any poison or wound but there hasn't been a sighting of a phoenix since the very early days of the Century of Blood. What chance do I have of finding one in the next hour? I can give him potions to ease the pain, maybe stop his death by an hour but that is all." Harry told her with anger, he was not kidding about the phoenix either but if anyone in the Freehold had gotten hold of any tears they had perished with the rest of the Freehold. Out of curiosity he had even used a glass candle to try and find either the tears or a phoenix and come up empty both times.

Caelys' own eyes moistened as she nodded in agreement, the worst thing a healer could face that they were powerless to help their patient.

Harry turned to Lord Stark and gently as possible woke him, the man slowly opened his eyes and looked into Harry's.

"I warned you this city was dangerous Lord Stark." Harry said sadly, Lord Stark nearly smiled and said slowly with a tired and weary voice.

"Arya? Sansa?"

"Arya is just outside, safe and sound. Sansa I am afraid is a prisoner of the Lannisters but as their only hostage she should be relatively safe, but Lord Stark there is something you should know." Harry said not wanting to tell him the truth but how could he lie to a dying man. "One of the sellswords had dipped their swords in basilisk venom, there is no antidote I'm sorry."

Lord Stark nodded slowly. "I know, I can feel it but I had a notion it might come to this but I must ask something of you Lord Tyrell?" Lord Stark said with some effort, wincing in pain as he reached for Harry's hand and grasped it tightly.

Harry was unnerved by the intense look in his eyes but said as this was his last request.

"Anything."

"Take care of Arya for me." He said with a desperation. "She will not be safe with Robb if he goes to war and your islands will be far from any fighting, I need you to protect her, please swear it." Lord Stark urged Harry who was conflicted about making such a vow but his own conscience would not rest if he refused so he said solemnly.

"I swear to protect her Lord Stark." Harry said carefully and Lord Stark nodded, looking much relief that his youngest daughter would be safe. "And I will tell Jon of his true heritage if we should meet."

Lord Stark looked at Harry shocked for a moment but Harry just gave him an easy smile and said.

"There are always traces but I covered them up, don't worry about his real parents being discovered I removed any evidence of Lyanna's marriage to Rhaegar. After all since my wife is Jon's half sister it would not be right to let him be discovered."

"What?" Lord Stark asked, shocked that the secret he had spent hiding for Jon's entire life had been discovered. Harry told him briefly about Rhaenys and their discovery of Jon from Rhaegar's ghost, it was so fantastical that he could hardy believe it but the same feeling that had told him that Baelish was not to be trusted was telling him that Harry Tyrell was telling the truth.

He nodded in thanks and then asked for them to dictate for him, a letter for his wife and one for each of his other children, so Harry and Caelys duly wrote for him and Arya eventually came in and kneeled against her father, holding his hand. Tears ran down the young girl's face as she looked at her ailing father, mopping his brew or helping him drink potions that would dull the pain or give him mere minutes longer. The others in the room felt like intruders but could not leave the young girl alone in her darkest moment.

Ned smiled and wiped a tear from Arya's face, making her look him in the eye.

"My little she wolf, it is alright." He told her, trying to comfort his daughter who looked absolutely devastated with tears running down her face, thick and fast. She looked at him desperately and begged.

"Father, please don't die. Please don't leave me." Her voice trembled and brought tears to the eyes of those in the room with how broken it was and how full of despair. Ned however just kept smiling and stroked her hair gently.

"Don't cry Arya, I am going to see my father, brother and sister again and I will not forgive you unless you die as an old woman warm in your bed with children and grandchildren surrounding you, understood?" Ned said half in jest and half seriously, making Arya smile for a moment before she said with her eyes still red from tears.

"I promise father." Arya said grasping Ned's hands tightly who took some last difficult breaths to say.

"My little Arya, always so strong, so determined to have it your own way. Lyanna would have loved you and whatever you do, no matter where you go or how far away I might feel, I will always love you." Ned told her with the utmost sincerity.

Arya pressed a kiss to his cheek and then pulled man, he looked into her eyes one last time and gave her the most relaxed smile he had ever had in his life before his eyes closed and his body stilled for the last time.

It took a moment for Arya to realise that her father had gone, she kept hoping that somehow that he would open his eyes and speak to her again, As the seconds went by no one spoke and the reality dawned on her, her eyes filled up with tears again and she shook her father's body, gently then roughly.

"Father, please come back! Come back!" She begged him but he did not respond to her and Arya broke so completely it was heartbreaking to watch, she collapsed against his chest and sobbed all of her fire seemingly extinguished. None of them moved at first, letting her grieve before Harry and Caelys came up to her, putting a firm but gentle arm around her each. She resisted at first but slowly allowed Harry and Caelys to lead her away from her father's body.

Harry looked into her eyes and saw the loss and the grief but also a fierce and hateful fire that had started in those grey depths, he was wary of it as if left unchecked it could lead her to her own destruction so they would have to help her to learn to channel her rage. His grandmother might be able to help with that Harry decided grimly.

Harry in himself was feeling incredibly dejected, how could he have been so foolish as to leave things so unstable? He if he had acted sooner none of this would have happened he thought, feeling so angry at himself it took a lot of effort to suppress it. He had completely underestimated Baelish and now the war he had feared was on their doorstep, he had been a foolish idiot Harry thought to himself angrily and the Starks alongside many of Zara's employees had paid the price for his hubris.

Harry knelt down before Arya and the young girl looked at him with guarded suspicion.

"I promise you, those that are responsible for this will pay." He told her and she looked like she honestly did not believe him for a moment.

"I want to kill Joffrey, Cersei and Baelish myself." She demanded with a fierceness that was strange to see on the face of one so young but given what she had just experience he was not truly surprised and knowing she needed to hear him say it, rather than treat her like glass Harry nodded much to the surprise of Caelys, Kanoro and Syrio.

"When we return to Bloodstone you will continue to train, you need to be prepared before you can go after them and to clear your head. Right now things are too raw and you are too full of rage, they will kill you before you can even get close. Your training with Syrio will continue and much more will be added, She-Wolf of Winterfell." Harry said, Arya looked ready to just run at being denied her vengeance but Harry grabbed her arm and held her gaze until she nodded in acceptance.

She would be trained Harry thought grimly because it would distract her while he kept her safe and time to decide if revenge was really worth it, he would not stop her if she followed that path but he would make sure that she was prepared with all the skills she needed to survive. He had sworn an oath to her father to make sure she lived and he was going to keep that promise.

Caelys took Arya and Syrio to rooms that they could rest while Harry was suddenly faced with an angry Kanoro.

"Why would you use a girl that is grieving like a weapon rather than return her to her family? Are you even a man any more?" Kanoro looked ready to draw his sword rather than let Harry teach her, only for Harry to glare back just as hard.

"I wouldn't but training will keep her distracted while we protect her, besides if we don't she will only try to seek it herself and likely get herself killed. What she needs is time to reflect and more crucially time to heal, training will give her that and focus which she sorely lacks. Not to mention the Starks will soon be at war if they are not already, she will be far safer on the islands than in the middle of that and if she chooses to enter it then she needs to have the skills to survive."

Harry did not like being questioned even by Kanoro but he could understand why, the other warrior nodded in apology for his rash judgement.

Tonight however he was going to take his revenge, striking Baelish where it would hurt the most.

 **-x-**

Hours later Harry slipped out dressed in a cloak and mask to disguise his features, his mind was grim and without emotion as he pointed his dragon ring at one of the brothels owned by Baelish and blasted it with an intense burst of fire. Wood, painted walls and fabrics all caught fire immediately as the searing hot flames touched them, he heard the cries from those inside but he paid them no mind. He had not barred the doors or windows so they had a chance to escape and he had a lot to do tonight.

He systematically went from brothel to brothel, to all of the safe houses Baelish held that they knew of and burned them to cinder. His only regret was that the vermin himself appeared to have fled after unleashing his sellswords on his enemies. He only changed his routine when he came to the House of Kisses, Baelish's main stronghold in the city. Zara had discovered that he held a vault somewhere in the building that held his emergency cash reserve but not where it was hidden, Harry used the point me spell to find it and then simply shrunk it down and put it in his pocket planning to open it later before burning the last holding Baelish had in Kings Landing to the ground. He was about to leave when he saw a boy hiding in an alley near by, walking over he saw it was one of the bastards Robert Baratheon had fathered. Zara had discovered him some time ago but he seemed safe and secure as a blacksmith's assistant so they had not bothered with him.

But now it seems he was in hiding, probably due to Cersei's unceasing hatred of her husband and rampant paranoia Harry reasoned, the boy would be as good as dead if he stayed in the city. Harry felt his conscience prickling at him and with a sigh Harry stunned Gendry and picked him up before apparating back to the safe house, they would take him back to the islands with them in the morning. He went to the Red Keep with the intention of retrieving Sansa Stark and _Dragon's Bane_ , getting the sword first having no intention of letting the snake Joffrey have it, but when he went to get Sansa, the girl screamed at the sight of him and ran, summoning the attention of the guards. Muttering curses under his breath Harry apparated out before the guards saw him. There would be too many guards to risk again without exposing his magic so for now he would just hope the Lannisters realised Sansa was their only valuable hostage and not harm her.

He would arrange for Ned's body to be sent to Winterfell and his letters for his wife and children sent to them, he sighed as he realised that he would have a lot to do once he got home.

* * *

 _ **Pyke, the Iron Islands…**_

While in the North and Riverlands open warfare had broken out between the Starks and Tullys on one side and the Lannisters on the other, on Dragonstone Stannis burnt septs and Renly started calling all his army to him...Balon Greyjoy was looking with a sick glee at the map of Westeros, specifically at the Northern coast. His daughter looked on from nearby as he told her.

"The Old Ways come again, we will reave and rape to our hearts content." Balon said as he looked eagerly at the map in a way that many would have thought sick or demented.

Yara herself was excited at the idea of a return to the old ways, embracing their way of life as they had not been able to in centuries but she could not smile...not after the nightmare she had experienced last night.

She had been a kraken, her many arms propelling her through the water and at her side was her sometimes unreasonable father and her little brother Theon also in the form of krakens, she had smiled at the thought of the brother she had not seen in years since the greenlanders took him. They had been happy and strong, until something from beneath the waves a large dark mass with a mass of sharp and brutal tentacles had wrapped around all of them and pulled them down into the depth. She watched horrified as her father and brother were torn apart, terror shaking her as she was dragged down and faced with this glowing red eye. It radiated malice and she could feel its dark designs for her so badly that she woke up in a cold sweat and a scream.

Her father would have told her that she was just being a pathetic girl like any of the noble ladies of the mainland with their silks, her gaze growing hateful for a moment as she considered that particular insult which had been thrown at her time and again but she could not get the nightmare out of her head however hard she tried. What ever her father said, something bad was coming and she did not want to die for her father's arrogance so she would keep up her guard.

* * *

 _ **Bloodstone, the Stepstones...**_

Portkeys brought all of their people and new guests home within minutes, after their loyalty was secured with a magical contract of course that made sure they could tell no one of their experience with Harry's magic. Places for them would be found on the islands but the first thing Harry did was call a meeting of his inner circle to discuss their next course of action.

Harry sat at the head of the table with Rhaenys at his right and Kanoro on his left, the rest sat along the long table and reviewed the information they had received, the only one missing was Caelys who was watching over the children. Harry held in his hand the latest raven they had received and told them what was on it.

"Renly has declared himself king backed by the Stormlands and the Reach." Harry said gritting his teeth in annoyance that his father and the rest of his family had decided to try and put that ignorant and stupid bastard on the throne. Worst it announced his marriage to Margaery which Harry honestly thought was a waste of his sister, the man was a prancing fanciful fool who did not deserve a woman of his sister's calibre. "I have been ordered to come to Highgarden with all our men and swear fealty. That is of course after I go and swear to Stannis who sent this slightly earlier raven declaring himself king too and declaring Cersei's children bastards by Jaime Lannister. But finally there is the fact that open warfare has broken out in the Riverlands between the Starks/Tullys and the Lannisters, but at least Robb Stark is doing something unlike the other two. So the question we face is just what exactly do we do now?" Harry asked them.

A look around the room showed many were just as divided as he was, neither Stannis or Renly were fit to be king in their eyes albeit for different reasons Stannis being to stern and inflexible for politics and Renly being a foolish clown with no real sense in his head. Robb Stark was a possibility but he was too far away for them to support easily and they were still not sure if he wanted to be king or not or if he was someone they should even consider allying with. One thing for sure thought was there was no chance in hell of siding with Joffrey and the Lannisters Harry thought with anger, if one house deserved power and standing the least it was them.

Not a good set of options.

"Perhaps we should declare ourselves neutral and stay well out of it, if no one is worth supporting?" Kanoro suggested not liking the idea of fighting for any of them and while many agreed with the statement it did create problems.

"Not getting involved could be seen as an act of cowardice and weaken our standing in Westeros, not to mention we could end up with sanctions levelled against us by whoever wins in the end." Alys said with worry and Jothos nodded but Myria brought them back to real question.

"So back to square one who do we support?"

They looked to Harry and Rhaenys for a decision and the two sighed together as they considered their options, none of them sounded good and who knows what else might emerge from this war. So Harry and Rhaenys decided to play safe for now until they had a better option.

"I will send a letter to Highgarden announcing my fealty to Renly but our men and ships stay at home, all our holdings need to be kept secure and ready, not to mention we have to continue getting Aeron and Daena trained up and keep our youngest guest safe." Harry said looking briefly to the two young Valyrians who smirked having spent a fair amount of time with Rhaenys training their dragons. While still not large enough to ride they were growing fast and would a force to be reckoned with once the time came.

Their youngest guest however...Arya did pose a bit of a problem. While Harry and his people had no intention of using the young girl to their own ends, shielding and hiding her the way they were doing...encourage a sense of wanting to help the Starks amongst them. While they did respect their honourable and direct approach which could be just what Westeros needed right now, thanks to Ned Stark not being taught to handle politics his sons likewise had the same weakness.

The Game of Thrones would tear them apart.

After the meeting he went alone into the mountainous area of the island and sensing his discomfort, his dragon Talos, his horse Storm and his bloodhawk Orion all crowded around him. He could not help but smile as he petted his familiars, drawing some strength from the bond they all shared with him.

 **-x-**

Arya was sitting in the yard waiting for Syrio to arrive for their lesson, many had told her to take some take away from training but...she just couldn't.

As she sat their with _Needle_ in her hands, all she could do was imagine sticking the blade into Baelish's throat or Joffrey's face. A familiar fury started stirring inside her, her hand tightening around the handle of her sword painfully.

Her father...dead. Arya still had trouble accepting it, he had always seemed so tall and strong and now he was gone, cut down long before his time by a sellsword hired by a coward that lusted after her mother.

It honestly made her so angry that she got up and with her breathing and face becoming nearly animal like she started slashing hard and fast at one of the training dummies, her anger and rage spilling out with untamed fury.

She slashed and slashed for so long her arms ached and still she kept going, her anger and rage seeming to have no end.

Until she heard something snap and slashing became easier.

She stopped and realised that _Needle_ had snapped in two half way along the blade, its other half was laying only a short distance away but she stared at the small sword in her hand that was now broken and tears of despair came to her eyes.

She'd broken Jon's gift.

He had given her this sword, the only one of her entire family that had actually looked like her and treated her like Arya rather than like a lesser version of Sansa that could never meet the mark. And in her anger, she had broken his gift to her.

"That is what happens when you suckle on anger and hate." A voice sounded from the side of the yard. Arya looked over and saw a stunningly beautiful woman with the appearance of Dorne, tanned skin and dark hair and an alluring figure with strange purple eyes. Her voice was kind but stern.

Great, Arya thought with irritated anger, another woman who wants me to act like a lady.

"Think of me as you will but if you wallow in your anger and hate it will poison everything in your life. I know that from personal experience after my brother and mother were slaughtered." The woman said and Arya blinked in surprise at what she had said. "You have to find an outlet so you can deal with your grief and anger or it will break you or lead you into a situation that you cannot handle." The woman said sharply and then said. "I will get our blacksmith to repair the sword but in the meantime you are going to train with other weapons and skills."

Arya was surprised at the beautiful but very stern lady saying she could train and while it did please her on some level she did have one big question to ask.

"And you are My lady?"

"Rhaenys Tyrell, Harry is my husband and while he is busy you listen to me. Now some me your archery." Rhaenys said, throwing her a bow and quiver made of materials Arya was not familiar with and pointed towards a set of targets at different positions to test range and accuracy.

While Arya Stark started shooting with more raw talent than developed skill Rhaenys watched the girl, somehow she knew the girl did not want to be coddled. She certainly hadn't at that age Rhaenys thought with grim recollection of those difficult early years, she could only hope the girl did not experience any more tragedy in her young life but somehow she knew the world was not that kind and war left all those it touched poorer than when it found them.

* * *

 _ **The Battle of the Whispering Wood, Riverlands...**_

Robb Stark had only fought two battles in his entire life, this was the second and while he would feel sick to his stomach afterwards, he had never been more focused in his life.

The earlier battle at the Green Fork was a strategic and tactical victory for him, having used the Barnell bridge to outflank the enemy rather than the expected Frey bridge. It might well have been a tactical victory for the Lannisters though had it not been for the work of not only Robb himself but also Lord Boros Wallain.

The man was a demon on the field, his tactical insight let him soak up a situation quickly and create a strategy to earn victory, not to mention he had a large number of men at his disposal. He had cut through the Vale Hill Tribes Tywin Lannister had thrown at them and forced them into retreat, capturing Ser Kevan Lannister and Ser Addam Marbrand in the process with nearly no casualties on the Stark side.

His help was certainly being invaluable to Robb now at the Battle of the Whispering Wood, their armies now even in numbers with around thirty thousand each. They had lured the Lannister army into a confrontation and surrounded them, Tywin and the half of his army had fled south towards Harrenhal while Jaime Lannister and the shattered remains of his forces clung on desperately. Jaime Lannister might have escaped but he refused to leave his men and inspired they fought to the death alongside him, it almost made Robb respect the man had he not been of the side family that killed his father and held his sisters hostage.

Ser Jaime was bold as he stood with his remaining men, surrounded on the field with the bloodied _Brightroar_ in his hands and his men just as defiant. All around them were Northern soldiers and Riverlanders, Robb with a growling Grey Wind at his side glared at Jaime Lannister who merely smirked back either not afraid of death or thinking himself valuable to be killed.

Then just as Robb was about to demand Jaime's surrender the strangest thing happened.

Jaime Lannister wiped his sword clean of blood and spoke first.

"Robb Stark, if my men are spared and allowed to flee I will surrender here and now. Do you agree?" Jaime shouted and all the men around Lannister or Stark looked at him shocked at the declaration, but Robb seriously considered it. He could of course just take Jaime by force and slaughter the Lannister men but that could still result in the Lannister's death and he would be a very valuable hostage to ensure his sisters' safety in Kings Landing. Robb wanted the Lannisters to pay but he with difficulty kept his temper under control and shouted back.

"Very well Lannister, providing they discard their weapons and flee right now." His own men looked shocked at his agreeing to this but they accepted it. Jaime's own men were reluctant to leave him but they did as he told them and threw down their weapons before fleeing. Jaime walked up to Robb and presented his sword which Robb took with a nod.

"Cause no trouble and you will be treated well enough, despite the fact the Lannisters killed my father and pushed my brother out of a tower, shattering his legs." Robb aid with a glare that could have melted stone. His own rage at the Lannisters strong enough to make even the strong man wince. Jaime understood the younger man's rage and given his estrangement from all but his younger brother in regards to his family had no guilt at all in saying.

"My idiot sister and her vile spawn killed your father, as your brother my cousin Lancel did that probably while he was fucking my sister."

The shocked expressions that followed his announcement, Robb was very suspicious of the Lannister but a feeling in his gut that his father had once told him was called 'the Wolf's instinct' told him that Ser Jaime was telling the truth, making the change to address him as a knight in slight respect to the man.

Jaime meanwhile knew full well however foolish his father and sister would have thought his course of action, his own conscience was clear. He owed them nothing and would give them nothing in return, his only concerns these days were Tyrion and his own children even Joffrey who Jaime honestly thought was far too far gone to help even if he could still not turn his back on him, what else could a father do for his son? Jaime asked himself with weary resignation.

When he had returned to the capital with Tyrion and _Brightroar_ in his hands, Cersei had clawed at his face with her nails, screaming and kicking him until finally he retrained her. He had actually been glad to see her and even brought a present for each of their children all of which she had destroyed in front of their children. That had been bad enough but to find that she had a parade of lovers in his absence and even shoved that in his face...well needless to say he had finally severed whatever ties he had with her. Their father's cold disregard for Tyrion had sealed the death of whatever relationship they might have had. Only Tyrion had ever really supported and stood with him and the only good thing that had come of his relationship to Cersei was Tommen and Myrcella.

 **-x-**

 _ **Riverrun, the Riverlands that evening…**_

Robb sat in the halls of his grandfather with _Brightroar_ at his waist, he had taken the sword for himself since _Ice_ was almost certainly in Lannister hands now and he held court with his own lords and Riverlands allies. Ser Boros Wallain for his service sat next to him with Lord GreatJon Umber, his mother Catelyn and his uncle Ser Edmure Tully.

The rest of the hall was full as the men debated largely amongst themselves which king they should support, Robb himself was conflicted on the matter not liking any of their choices. His main priorities were security for his people and justice for his late father but none of the prospective kings sounded like they would respect his goals much to his own dismay.

"Renly has the stronger army, combined with him we could crush all of our enemies." Lord Bracken shouted.

"Stannis is the rightful king, he is Robert's brother and by law the next in line." Another shouted but then the GreatJon got up and started speaking, causing everyone to go quiet.

"My lords. Here is what I say to these two kings." He then spat on the ground, surprising them all and making a few laugh and cheer but they kept listening. "Renly Baratheon is nothing to me, nor Stannis either. Why should they rule over me and mine from some flowery seat in the south? What do they know of the Wall or the Wolfswood? Even their gods are wrong." He said and while the Riverlanders looked angry at that last part given they followed the Seven as well they stayed quiet.

"Why shouldn't we rule ourselves again?" The GreatJon asked. "It was the dragons we bowed to and now the dragons are dead. There sits the only king I mean to bend my knee too." The GreatJon said drawing his great sword and pointing it towards Robb himself who was momentarily stunned by the notion of becoming a king and nearly missed the GreatJon proclaiming him. "The King in the North."

Robb stood and the lords around him started to add their voices to the call, he nodded to all of them and started speaking with the feeling of a great weight descending upon him.

"My lords, I thank you for your faith and trust. I have never expected to be a king nor wanted to be but I vow on my blood and on my father's name to protect and defend all our people of the North and Riverlands both. I will call upon all my strength and heart to protect our lands so that we may live free and choose our own destiny."

The men cheered and Robb turned to the young Darry boys who were squires to Lord Boros. "Your castle and those of others are held by the Lannisters, this will not stand. I will not rest until the Lannisters are gone from our sight and bleed for every crime they have committed. It is our time now, so to victory." Robb called out and his men cheered and banged their fists on their tables in joy.

His mother looked proud and terrified in equal parts, knowing full well just what they were up against and the danger that now surrounded them all, not to mention distraught over his two sisters being held in Kings Landing.

Robb himself was terrified of the situation and the responsibility that now fell on his shoulders, he could only hope Theon who sat there cheering with the rest was right about this meaning he was not stupid.

* * *

 _ **The Sunset Sea...**_

A large war galley passed through the waves, its strong wooden hull and sails painted black with lines of gold along the hull like a kraken's tentacles to match the one of the main sail.

At the helm of the ship was a man with an eye patch who was dressed in a mismatched set of fine clothes, some of which were stained with blood that was definitely not his but were the proceeds of four years of plundering the oceans of the world. His crew milled around silently as their tongues had been cut out long ago but all bowed their heads to their captain, held there by absolute fear of him.

Euron Greyjoy was smirking widely as he sailed for home for the first time in a decade, he could possibly have waited for the war in Westeros to divide and destroy the kingdoms more but then he thought with a manic and bloodthirsty grin, nah where was the fun in that?

Besides he was going to visit his brother and niece with a lot of new friends and a very powerful trick that would prove to all that he was the Drowned God himself he thought with glee, as the gauntlet that controlled the waves rested on his arm and behind him a fleet of over three hundred pirate ships that he had spent the last four years amassing.

This was going to be fun, Euron thought as he started laughing with complete abandon no fear or hesitation at all.

* * *

 _Well that is it for Chapter 20, please review to let me know your thoughts._

 _Well now the War of the Five Kings is starting, Harry will not be idle and he will be respected and feared by all of Westeros when all is said and done._

 _One thing I should probably make clear is that a smaller house built a bridge over the Green Fork with a loan from Harry earlier in the story which Robb used instead of the Twins, the Freys joined once they realised they could not extort a toll from him so Robb is not engaged to a Frey, just to make that clear from the outset._

 _The new dragon rider armour resembles Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Helmschmied Drachen Armour except with Basilisk leather and Valyrian steel plate. Each Dragon Rider also has a Valyrian steel weapon of their own choosing, a dagger and a dragon bone bow._

 _ **Next Chapter**_ _– The War escalates and the Greyjoys are in for a nasty reunion. Harry meanwhile is forced to take a stand._


	21. Chapter 21 Iron Born Rising

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _Sorry that this chapter was delayed but it will probably be a bit longer between updates for awhile as I have had some issues with my real life and they need to be dealt with promptly. Sorry! Especially to those that reviewed the last chapter, you guys are the best!_

 _This chapter will be quite fast paced and I have brought forward a few events to get the story moving. The first part of the chapter deals with everything else that is going on before going to Harry in the second._

 _I have also made some changes to House Hightower, Lord Leyton is still in charge but he has three sons and a daughter in this order; Baelor, Gunthor, Garth and Alysanne. Lynesse was a cousin to them._

 **Chapter 21 – Iron Born Rising**

 _ **A month later**_

 _ **Winterfell, the North…**_

The casket containing the body of Eddard Stark had arrived, Bran and Rickon looked on the body of their father with tears in their eyes as did most of the castle. The much respected ad honoured lord that they had served was dead long before his time and the sight of his two young sons so sad when they should have been so full of life at their age, sorrow seemed to surround them especially Bran who of course could no longer walk or run.

A letter was handed to each of them, their father's words.

 _To my brilliant son Bran,_

 _When these words reach you I will be long dead._

 _But do not mourn for me, live for me. That might be a strange thing to say but I want my children to live their lives and only join me where I now watch over you when you are a grown man who has done all he could in his life. Your will is stronger than any man that I have ever met, to survive what you did and wake up from a sleep that everyone thought was forever but I know you can overcome any challenge you are set. I only wish I could say more but I fear that my time is short and there is not enough parchment in the world for all I wish to say._

 _Know that I love you and will always be proud of you._

 _Your father._

Bran felt tears well up in the corner of his eye and Rickon at his side was just the same as he read his own letter. The two brothers hugged to comfort each other and swore a silent oath together that they would honour their father.

 **-x-**

Not far away a Greyjoy son was plotting to take Winterfell to prove himself to a father that had no love for him at all and was impossible to reason with in his own ego, especially after his sister Yara had taken Moat Cailin and Deepwood Motte and would surely be the favoured sibling when they both returned to Pyke.

But Theon would soon be followed to Winterfell by a quiet and subservient bastard that was in reality anything but with a pack of rabid hounds.

* * *

 _ **A week later**_

 _ **The Golden Tooth, the Westerlands...**_

Robb sat at the table a week later of the solar he had commandeered after taking the castle, he looked at the letter from the North telling him of the Iron Born invasion even the capture of Winterfell and the murder of his younger brothers. His anger rose inside him like the wolf's snarl that his house used as its symbol, he had treated Theon like a brother and he had been betrayed. Already he had sent men back to the North to force the Iron Born from his homeland via ships at Port Maril which would sail them to White Harbour.

A letter was brought to him by the castle's maester, he opened it and was struck dumb by the words inside.

 _Robb,_

 _I hope these words reach you before too long, I know that I am not long for this world and there is so much to say._

 _First of all know that I love you and a man could not be prouder of his son than I am of you, you are calm and steady with a genius on the battlefield that rivals Robert Baratheon or Randyll Tarly but I beg you my son be careful. Snakes rarely let you know that they are there before they bite you and you will no doubt have many around you so be careful._

 _Be fair to your men, we are all but humans with our flaws and everyone makes mistakes. Honour and justice sometimes must take a step back to see what the needs of the situation are. Trust your own judgement but temper it with patience and wisdom, safeguard yourself with the wisdom of your councillors._

 _You will be a fine lord of our home and of the North, I will be watching you from the hereafter with the rest of our family. I only wish I could help you more but my time grows short, do not worry for Arya she is safe as I can only hope Sansa is._

 _Your loving father._

Robb sat back in his chair, stunned. He had no idea how his father had died only that his body had arrived at Winterfell awhile ago and letters announcing it had reached him before that, that it said that Arya was safe did seem strange but welcome to him. Sansa he knew was a prisoner of the Lannisters and he had thought Arya was too but his father said otherwise, Robb was not sure that he believed that but he trusted his father's word.

That he had lived long enough to make this short letter was a blessing and curse, that he and Arya too it seemed had been rescued from imprisonment at the hands of the Lannisters unlike his other sister and hopefully been free of pain and torment was news that calmed his troubled mind. However the weight of expectation to live up to what his father had believed he could.

* * *

 _ **Castle Darry, the Riverlands…**_

Castle Darry was an old, small but simple castle, built in the days of the Andals arrival in Westeros and it had been the seat of House Darry for centuries and even after their decision to fight for the dragon during Robert's Rebellion it had remained their home, until it was seized by the Lannisters in their initial invasion of the Riverlands and its lord killed his sons only alive because they had been squiring for Lord Boros Wallian at the time.

As night fell grain supplies arrived at the castle to feed the garrison left by the Lannisters after they had taken Darry, no one questioned the men that delivered the large sacks or bothered to check them as they had the orders in hand signed by their own liege Lord Brax.

So in the dead of night in the storeroom, no one noticed when the sacks began to move and men pulled themselves out of the bags. Then they made their way to gates as the majority of the garrison slept and gutted the few guards there were on watch before sending a signal to the hidden strike force nearby, throwing open the gate and allowing them entry overwhelming the unprepared Brax soldiers and retaking the castle for the sons of its former lord.

Lord Boros Wallain nodded grimly as Brax men were executed, his duty was grim but it was a necessary one to kick the Lannisters out of his homeland and one awarded to him by his new King Robb Stark, who had named him the Defender of the Riverlands and given him command of all the remaining men left behind while his grace attacked the Golden Tooth and the army of new levies assembling there. A job made easier by the arrival of Ser Lothar Brune and his company of four hundred free riders who had swore themselves to House Stark, meaning that one by one he was liberating all the Lannister held castles in the Riverlands and picking off their men. That was how he had gotten his men into Darry after all Boros thought without humour, intercepting a supply convoy bound for Darry, killing its men and then dressing his own people up in the Lannister armour.

* * *

 _ **The Red Keep, Kings Landing…**_

Sansa was just as miserable as her siblings if not more so as she realised that she was just a little songbird in a cage and saw those she had formerly admired for who they really were. Joffrey and the Queen, not regal not in anyway, glorious or worth an honour of any kind.

Instead they were monsters in human form, all her servants and family guards...butchered on the words of the queen. Her father dead and Arya missing.

Never had she felt so alone in all her life, never had she wished so much that she could just turn back time and go back to Winterfell the way it had been before her father had been named Hand of the King. Where she had had friends, a dire-wolf, her own bed and her large and loving family around her. Her misery only growing as she realised that could never be and that she was trapped here, never having realised how lucky she was all her life to have had that warm and loving home at all, those memories were her only solace now she thought with despair.

To be dragged naked in front of the Iron Throne and beaten for Joffrey's amusement.

To be sneered at and insulted by Cersei.

To be constantly insulted and told her family were worthless traitors, just like her and that they could execute her any time they wanted. Only the Hound and Lord Tyrion showed her any kindness and even that could be fleeting.

She had done nothing to deserve their scorn and yet they heaped it on her anyway, a part of her felt she deserved it for being so naive and not appreciating what she had been given. Oh how much she wished she could have spent more time with Bran, Rickon and Arya. How she missed being able to talk to Robb or her mother? How she wished she had been nicer to Jon who had been and was still she hoped more gallant than any knight. How much she wished for her father to just hug her again like he always.

She was broken from her miserable thoughts when a letter was slipped under her door, she looked up startled at first but seeing it was only a letter and one delivered with the wolf crest of her own house she rushed over and opened it quickly.

 _My dearest daughter,_

 _I hope that you are safe when you read this but I fear you might have fallen into the clutches of the Lannisters, I wish that I could spare you the life you are almost certainly living under the golden haired bastard Joffrey born of incest between his mother and her brother but it seems I cannot help you...in body at least._

 _The trials that you are experiencing will no doubt be the worst of your life but you are stronger than you know my dear girl, the blood of the First Men and long lineage of House Stark runs in your veins. I only wish I had never allowed that Septa to come to Winterfell or your mother to fill your head with stories of how a 'real lady' behaves so that might have learned your true self before this all happened. You are a Wolf Sansa, fierce and cunning that can endure the harshest winter and stand tall when all around is chaos...never forget that. Whatever they say or do they only have power over you if you let them, your consent to be afraid and show that fear._

 _You are a daughter of the old Winter Kings, Brandon the Builder through the millennia to you now and the pack will survive my girl even if the lone wolf falls. You are a real Northern woman underneath the southern finery, pain and fear are all a part of being alive but you do not have to fear death because it is a release from suffering and what worst can they do to you but that? If they threaten to kill you, show them you are not afraid and if they turn to a lesser threat then you have called their bluff and taken back the power from them. Fear is a natural instinct but if you can still be afraid and do what you must then you have conquered your fear._

 _I will be watching you my beautiful and brilliant daughter and know that I am proud of you, no matter what I love you and I always will._

 _Your loving father._

Tears fell from Sansa's eyes as she read and reread every word, even after she had all but ignored him in favour of the supposedly sophisticated Southern nobles he still loved her. That he thought she was a true Northerner and could be brave and strong like him and all their ancestors...except she thought to herself she couldn't. Hadn't she already proved that by showing such cowardice in the face of Joffrey and the Queen? Sansa did not want to let down her father but how could she be the woman he thought she was?

It was impossible.

And yet those words that were becoming burned into her memory, she felt a sense of calm as she repeated them again and again in her head, despite her fear that she could never be strong like a Stark she did feel something inside her stir at those words. Something primal and strong, like a wolf she thought. After hiding the letter so the Lannisters could not take that from her too she stared at her reflection in the mirror and looked intently at herself, she resembled her mother physically and she had been told that often enough but she did notice a few things that had escaped her notice before.

She and Arya had the same nose and their cheekbones were nearly identical, the only reason she had never noticed before was she had a slightly different shaped face than her sister and she had never really looked. Both of them had been the same height at that age and Arya might well catch up to her if she still lived, something Sansa dearly hoped was true. Her supposedly blue Tully eyes were more closer to the grey of her sister and brother Jon than the bright blue her mother had.

Sansa raised an eyebrow and was struck again as it looked a lot like her father had when he had made the same gesture.

She was not completely Tully in appearance at least, there was some Stark in her on that level at least so maybe she began to hope there might be something of the wolf deeper inside her after all.

 **-x-**

Tyrion Lannister meanwhile in a nearby chamber was mulling over the situation his father and sister had left him in, perhaps he thought I should drown myself in a vat of wine or have a whore kill me as I enjoy her services, at least I would die with a smile on his face which would be far more preferable than dealing with Joffrey he thought sarcastically.

The death of Eddard Stark had been a disaster, aside from starting the war that they were now embroiled in, his letter to the Lords Paramount denouncing Joffrey as Jaime and Cersei's bastard and not Robert's son had disgusted many against allying with them. In truth they only had the Westerlands thanks to their father's reputation and their oaths of fealty, without a confession from the late Lord Stark that he had 'lied' about Joffrey's parentage to gain power or some other such nonsense they had little hope of gaining allies, which was in any case Tyrion thought with scorn

as likely as snow in Dorne thanks to Joffrey's behaviour anyway.

His own worries were not eased by the capture of his brother Jaime who he could only hope was being treated alright, as long as they held Sansa the Northerners would not hurt him which meant he had to keep an especially closer eye on Joffrey. It would be a disaster if that little monster seriously injured, scarred or killed her, almost certainly it would bring the end of Jaime if the North ever found out.

Jaime's capture to save his men had Tyrion thought strangely made him something of a hero in the eyes of the Westerlands, surrendering to save his men and refusing to run and leave them to die. Their father had fumed and called him foolish but the more Tyrion thought about the more he realised that it had become a source of inspiration for their men, this high born son the golden child had given himself up to save them. They admired him and fought harder in his name, even here in the city which Tyrion thought was a blessing given how difficult it had been so far to keep order in Kings Landing at the moment.

The dismissal of Ser Estermont had been another of his sister's idiotic blunders he fumed, all the smart and capable officers had gone with Ser Estermont but to give command to their foolish and moronic cousin Lancel, Tyrion thought with a massive amount of irritation at the particularly stupid move shaking his head at his sister's incredible stupidity. He might have supported removing Ser Estermont for someone that they could more readily trust but only if that person had been capable, Lancel hardly knew his head from his arse or his cock. Under him corruption and disorder had returned at an alarming speed except now it was just pure chaos without anyone in control at all. It had forced him to take a loan from the Faith (which had taken all the persuasive powers he possessed) to hire a sellsword company known as Bronn's Bastards to take control of the situation. Bronn the leader and founder of the company had taken over as Commander of the Watch and gotten things in hand while Tyrion had made Lancel Master of Ships to their small and insignificant couple of ships where he could cause no more trouble.

Thankfully Tyrion thought the sellswords would be a boon to the city's defences and getting the newly expanded City Watch trained and ready for the attack that must surely be coming, not to mention getting him a capable right hand man.

* * *

 _ **Pyke, the Iron Islands…**_

Balon Greyjoy was feeling more alive than he had in years, ever since his first attempt to claim a throne of his own and rule as his ancestors had generations ago before the Targaryens and their cursed dragons came. Already word of Yara's successes had reached him and he was glad that he had managed to instil some iron in her veins, his failure of a son Theon had proved as worthless as he feared though failing to take and hold Winterfell, well he thought with a disappointed shrug let the boy hang he is of no use to me.

So instead of trying to rescue his worthless son he stood with all his lords in attendance to bask in the glory of his triumph and look where they might reave next, he was so caught up in this that he failed to notice as a tall figure entered the room although his lords did and stared at the figure with a mixture of fear, unease and pure shock.

"What is dead may never die. Isn't that how it goes brother?" The man said, causing Balon to look up slowly as if not believing his own ears and in his own arrogance at being surrounded by his own lords just looked dismissively at the figure of his own younger brother Euron who just smirked with the utmost confidence as he spoke although the smarter of the lords present noticed Euron had more grey in his hair than was usual for a man his age. "Aren't you supposed to repeat the words or has the custom changed since I've been gone?" Euron asked with a mocking that irritated Balon who still did not feel at all threatened by the return of the brother he had banished, largely due to his own arrogance and self-delusion.

"I thought you'd be rotting under some foreign sea by now." Balon said, half hoping that his smarter and more dangerous sibling would have done just that. "You can mock our god without my help." Balon said with a sneer of loathing.

Pirates came up behind Euron making many of the lords wonder if they were going to try and kill them, however one of them a tall and vicious looking Summer Islander was carrying two large buckets filled with water. While they were puzzled at the sight of them, Euron just smirked at his older brother and said.

"I don't mock the Drowned God brother, I' am the Drowned God."

He said it with complete conviction, not a shred of doubt or humility like it was an honest truth like the dawning and setting of the sun each day. Many of the Iron Born were affronted at the claim until they saw what Euron did next.

He raised his arm and the water from the buckets rose with it, forming two impossible tendrils of water that hung in the air above the buckets. Even Balon was struck dumb at the sight of it, not able to believe it until the tendrils lunged forward with a flick of Euron's wrist.

The water still floating in the air enveloped Balon's head before he could react, he was in shock for a moment before he desperately tried to slap the water away from his face, moving his head violently to get clear of it but no matter what he did the water refused to move from around his head. He looked to his lords for aid but none of them moved to help their king, they were still gripped by fear and awe at what they were seeing.

As his breath grew less and he felt himself go light head, falling to his knees and just as his vision darkened with water filling his lungs, he got a glimpse of Euron laughing like a madman.

As Balon's drowned body fell to the floor, Euron turned his mad gaze at the rest of the Iron Lords and one by one they all knelt before him which made Euron laugh even louder in triumph. No one noticed Aeron Greyjoy, the middle brother who had sworn his life to be a priest of the Drowned God slip away to send a message on their swiftest ship to Yara on the mainland.

* * *

 _ **Moat Cailin, the North…**_

Yara's hands shook as she held the message from her uncle Aeron, his word of her father's death and Euron taking kingship of the Iron Islands with the power to control water although she had a little trouble believing that last part but still that Euron had returned was enough to shake her.

Terror as she remembered just how dangerous he was and all the words of him they had heard since, worst was the mentions of his 'designs' on her she thought which her uncle had warned her of. She could in her mind's eye see the looks he had given her as a girl and was immediately revolted at the implications of what those words could mean. Aeron had only one word of advice for her…

Run.

Run as far away as she could and never look back.

She might be a raider, but one thing Yara had never been was someone to just give up. It went against her very nature to give up on her claim to the Seastone Chair and never see her homeland ever again. Leaving Theon to die. The last one left a particularly bitter taste in her mouth, however much he had changed he was still her younger brother and in her own way she loved him and was already planning to rescue him when she could find out where Ramsay Snow was holding him.

Then the box from House Bolton arrived containing her brother's cock and the threat that her skin would soon join it written by the bastard Ramsay Snow, if she stayed here either her skin would be made into a cloak by the Boltons or Euron would come for her and only the Drowned God knew what might happen then. She leaned against the wall and her shoulders sagged as she realised the only real option she had if she wanted to live.

I'm sorry Theon she thought with the only real tears she had ever cried running down her cheeks as she called her men together and sailed to Essos and as far away from Euron as she could get.

* * *

 _ **Bloodstone, the Stepstones…**_

Harry and his people watched the unfolding chaos that was spreading across Westeros from their safe position and while some felt that they should get involved, many did not think it was their fight. Harry and Rhaenys ignored the multiple ravens from Renly Baratheon who demanded no less that their entire army come to join with his enormous host that was making their way at an excruciatingly slow pace towards Kings Landing, although they had all joked by the time they got there Renly would have a son.

They meanwhile improved their own defences and equipment. Harry, Rhaenys, Aeron and Daena were all examining the new dragon rider gear and were enjoying it but their joy was broken as a servant admitted a new visitor to the island.

Harry who had been smiling as he saw his two younger lieutenants eagerly testing and trying out their new armour and weapons, instantly tensed as he saw just who had come through the door.

"Just what the hell are you doing here?" At his side Rhaenys tensed as she too knew just who the visitor was while Aeron and Daena who had never met 'him' before looking on with confusion.

"You have taken a girl in." Jaqen H'ghar said without any expression or worry at their reaction to him. "She is my purpose here."

The mention of a girl instantly reminded both Harry and Rhaenys of their new ward, Arya Stark. Harry's hands went to his swords with anger brewing inside him while Rhaenys narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"You will not bring your order's 'gift' to her." Harry said with gritted teeth, his mind now wondering who might know that they had Arya here. He had intended to tell his grandmother for the sole reason of recruiting her in the girl's training but as of yet he hadn't sent the raven, so either a spy was in their midst or the girl herself had sent a message without telling them. Both of which Harry had to consider however much he doubted each option.

"No, you altered her path." Jaqen said, it might have been accusing if he had not delivered it without any emotion at all. "She was to wander for a time before coming to us in Braavos and learn our ways, skills she would have depended on to survive, the Many Faced God is certain training her is essential so here the man is to teach her." Jaqen said calmly.

Harry was surprised at his words but did not trust them at all, he had sworn a vow to the girl's father to protect Arya and ensure her welfare and had no intention of putting her in the hands of an assassin who changed his face. He had seen the admittedly impressive combat skills the man had shown at the Battle of the Summer Isles and if he could be trusted, he could certainly be a boon to the girl but still he felt uneasy about it.

"She has a Braavosi Water Dance master and my own people training her already, why should I accept you as well?" Harry asked with caution, wanting to see just what the man was offering to teach her. Arya was grieving and he did not want her to hurt by the Faceless Men messing with her head. Jaqen however was as matter of fact about his answer to that question as he had to all the others.

"I can teach her to fight without eyesight and to use every one of her senses, to blend in with others around her and how to kill without leaving a trace of her presence, to fool people with mummers' tricks and while she cannot learn here to steal faces from the dead she can be taught to disguise herself. Can you truly teach her these things?" He asked and Harry's eyes narrowed, not liking the idea of using Arya as some kind of assassin however useful some of those skills could be. He did not sigh in resignation or any such thing to show his reluctance but instead said.

"You will be closely watched here and in any interactions with the girl, if I see anything I don't like...I'll send you packing faster than you can blink." He warned causing Rhaenys, Aeron and Daena to look at him in surprise while Jaqen nodded.

"The man understands your concerns but be assured the man means no harm to the girl, however you should be informed that the mad pirate with one eye has returned and taken control of the Driftwood crown with a fleet of pirates at his back and the ability to control water. While his brother had intended to only attack the North the mad pirate intends a far larger conquest of Westeros coast." Jaqen told him and Harry scowled visibly at the mention of the mad pirate with one eye which to him could only mean one person, Euron Greyjoy.

Harry nodded and left the room to head to Alwyn and the ravens, if Euron was planning an invasion of the coast he had to warn the Reach coastal houses and Gunthor who was managing his holdings there, not to mention the Shield Islands. As he worriedly rushed down the corridor he only hoped they were not too late.

 **-x-**

In the training yard below him two young people were trying to cope with the changes in their worlds, Arya being raised as a noble was used to being in a castle and having her own room even to training once her father had hired Syrio to teach her as he was doing now. Gendry the young apprentice blacksmith was not. In Kings Landing he had shared with three other boys but here he had a room to himself and was now working alongside a smith that would put his old master Mott to shame in all that he could do with metal, as much an artist as a metal worker, Gendry had learned more about making steel here in the last month than the previous year put together.

That being said he was still in awe and fearful in equal parts of his new lord's powers, the Seven taught that all magic was evil and needed to be destroyed but then again Gendry thought with angry so he was called an abomination created out of sin and lust and was sure to steal from proper children born within wedlock. So he did not give their bloated and corrupt opinions any consideration, that magic had saved not only his life but many others as well. The dragons here though that had been a surprise he thought with admiration, Lord Tyrell and his wife had brought back an extinct species and tamed them and while Gendry did fear the great creatures he could see the beauty with which they moved through the sky, they were not all about to destruction.

His attention however was stolen from the admiration of dragons towards a more normal creature, the daughter of the late Lord Stark Arya. She was a few years younger than him but her fierceness was intriguing...it called to him on some level but he shook his head as he reminded himself she was a high born lady and a princess now her brother had declared himself king.

She was way out of his league, why would she be interested in a blacksmith anyway he thought with sadness. He had been cautioned many times by his old master about thinking beyond his station, so Gendry tried to reign in his own wants and remain grounded. However he mouth went dry as she came over.

"Your Gendry right? The blacksmith?" Arya Stark said to him more as a statement than a question and for a moment Gendry was struck dumb by her warm but fierce grey eyes, before he managed to nod feeling like an absolute fool.

 **-x-**

Arya looked at the taller Gendry and if she had not been told that he was Robert Baratheon's son it would have been hard for her to compare him to the fat king that had gotten her father killed by dragging him south, then see the similarities in the slim younger man like his hair and eyes not to mention there was something in the face that reminded her of the dead king. Her fury at the Baratheons and Lannisters for getting her father killed had finally chilled to a level where she could control it but it was still simmering inside her grown even deeper now that Bran and Rickon had died too, Lady Rhaenys had been as good as her word and _Needle_ was as good as new but Arya was taking much better care of her possessions now she had seen how breakable things were especially things that actual meant something to her.

The discovery of Lord Harry's magic had surprised her though, she had learnt tale from Old Nan that magic was a corrupt and horrid thing that destroyed everything it touched but she was of the First Men and the early Starks were supposed to have used magic to build the Wall and Winterfell so it must not be all bad. And she had seen the young children of Lord Harry and Lady Rhaenys practice their own powers under their father's watchful eye, nothing she had seen was evil looking or destructive...more a tool than a weapon.

She was about to say something to Gendry who was just staring at her in a way she had not really seen before, not directed at her anyway. Some boys had looked at Sansa like that saying she was the most beautiful girl that they had ever seen but never at her and Arya was unnerved to have a boy looking at her like that. It was a new experience and she was uncomfortable at being the centre of attention, she unconsciously took a step back from Gendry and was glad to see Lady Rhaenys approach with a man who had both red and white hair, his eyes caught hers and he seemed to smile at her for some reason.

"Arya this is Jaqen H'ghar, a Faceless Man from Braavos who has come to aid in your training. He has skills which might be useful to you." Lady Rhaenys told her and Arya looked the man up and down, like Syrio he did not look like a warrior but as she had learnt from being here already looks could be deceiving, Syrio gave the Faceless man a bow of respect which was returned as both men coming from Braavos knew of each other's abilities.

 **-x-**

Rhaenys looked down at the Stark girl and felt a familiar pang as she saw the ghost of pain in her young eyes, a much loved father dead, two brothers too and cut off from the rest of her family it was something she knew all to well she thought and took a firm grip of the girl's shoulder and told Syrio and Jaqen to prepare a plan for her training together while she steered the young girl to the gardens. Arya looked at her with curiosity but Rhaenys sighed, not liking what she was going to have to say.

"When my mother and brother died, I was all alone in the world or I thought I was. Yet I could not stop feeling pain and angry, so much that it made me put one foot in front of the other, to eat and in my dreams were filled with so much hate that every night I imagined ways of destroying my enemies but..." Rhaenys stopped there for a moment her eyes moistening slightly, familiar echoes of how she had felt back then. "Anger can like a fire destroy and poison everything you do and slowly kill you inside, all you live for is your rage. I was lucky as Jothos and his wife were there to help me find a way to deal with my anger without it destroying me, and I think you might need that too. The pain never really goes away but it does not have to define your life." Rhaenys said, calling on days that she seldom liked to think of, when everything had seemed so bleak.

Arya stopped and looked up at her sharply with eyes and nostrils flaring with anger at someone saying that they understood all the pain she had stabbing at her all the time, she tried to pull away but Rhaenys held firmly onto her shoulder and looked her straight in the eyes. The Stark girl kept struggling for awhile but Rhaenys would not let go of her. Eventually Arya stopped fighting and averted her gaze as tears gathered in her eyes that she had been trying to suppress since news of her younger brothers' death had reached them. She could not stop them as they started to roll down her cheeks or stop herself from trembling as she looked away, not able to meet Rhaenys' gaze.

"So what did you do?" Arya asked her in a voice that sounded so low and depressed that it broke Rhaenys' heart.

"I made them a part of who I am, I hold the memories of them in a special place inside me so when I really want too I can remember them. I channel my energy into other things or avenge them by surviving, there is no simple answer and no one thing that will make this right. Only you can know what will help you heal Arya." Rhaenys told her hoping to give the girl something that might help. "What was the best thing about your father and your brothers?"

Arya thought hard for a moment before saying.

"My father always loved us and never wavered, Bran was daring and thoughtful and Rickon was always stubborn but he loved to laugh." Arya's gaze fell to her feet as the pain of losing them all came back.

Rhaenys could not help but smile slightly as she said. "Well you have the stubbornness down." Arya despite her sadness blushed slightly at that. "So be as steadfast as your father and as daring and thoughtful as Bran, maybe laugh like Rickon. Carry a part of them with you as you live your life and they are never really gone. That is what I did with my mother when she was murdered, I made her love, her cunning and her care for all those around a part of me."

That made Arya look up at Rhaenys as if to judge her words, the two stared at each other for a moment with Rhaenys giving the girl a sad smile. Rhaenys decided to then and there to get Harry to go and find the girl's direwolf so she would have a companion again.

"Write a letter to your mother and brother, let them know how you are and I will ensure they get it. After all you will have much to learn before you are ready to go home." Rhaenys said leaving the girl so she could get her husband. A plan started to unfold in Rhaenys' mind aside from a feeling of kinship with her, with the girl's younger brothers dead and her older sister a hostage of the Lannisters Arya Stark was now crucial to the survival of her house and a potential ally in the times ahead so she would need to be taught and her bond with them tightened.

But Rhaenys thought if something happened to her eldest brother which was entirely possible with the situation Robb Stark had found himself in, it would fall to Arya to regain the North for the Starks. With Jon Snow bound to the Night's Watch and Sansa was by all accounts too timid to manage it on her own and would no doubt in time be married off to a Lannister which ever one Tywin picked, it would be up to Arya to restore her house to their proper place. Rhaenys knew how she would feel if her uncle's family perished and it fell to her to take their place so she decided to make sure the girl was strong and smart enough to gather support but able to rule the North effectively.

The next morning as the girl hugged the direwolf that had taken Harry all night to find Rhaenys smiled, not just with the touching scene but with her own ideas developing she did not of course want to harm the girl as they were in some ways very much alike. Arya would be ready when the time came, she would make sure of it.

* * *

 _ **Westeros Coast…**_

That same day it started.

The Iron Born invasion of the Western coast.

From Bear Island in the North to Seaguard in the Riverlands, from the Crag in the Westerlands to Cornfield of the same country a vast armada of pirates and Iron Born descended on Westeros. Bear Island and Flint's Finger managed to force them back to the sea while the Glovers reclaimed their home thanks to Robb sending them home via Port Maril and the Mallisters with the help of Boros Wallain repelled their attack but the Iron Born were persistent, coming again and again forcing Robb and Boros to take men from the front to garrison their coast.

In the Westerlands it was even worst though, so many men had been drawn away to fight in the Riverlands and the attack so unexpected that those that were left had been completely overwhelmed. Nowhere was safe as the Iron Born and their pirate allies swarmed across the coast, Crakehall, Lannisport and many other places were raided with only the great castle of Casterly Rock managing to repel their attack. Tywin Lannister however knowing Robb Stark would descend on Kings Landing if he moved to defend his coast was forced to stay where he was or find himself surrounded on all sides however much it angered the lords with coastal holdings who had to sit there as their homes were being razed to the ground and their families threatened.

However when Euron's fleet descended on the Shield Isles he found them garrisoned and ready, having been warned of the coming attack by Harry Tyrell. Even with a good number of men away at Renly's enormous camp they held their walls against the invaders with a fierceness not seen of them in generations. Their siege weapons on the walls setting ships that dared come close to the islands ablaze forcing them to sail either far west and risk the Sunset Sea or east towards the coast where the remnants of the Shield Isles fleet engaged in hit and run attacks against them.

Until Ser Harras Harlaw arrived on Greyshield, the most westerly of the Shield Isles.

He dug his standard into the ground and said he would fight any seven challengers that dared face him in a trial of the Seven, the Lord Grimm had at first denied his challenge but the castle's septon accepted it and sure enough all seven had perished at the hands of Harras and _Nightfall_. Despite Lord Grimm's protest that he had never accepted the challenge the septon ordered that it was the will of the gods that the guards should open the gates and surrender the castle, and so great was his influence that the guards did as they told regardless of the pleas of the smallfolk that had taken refuge in the castle.

Rape and slaughter quickly followed as the Iron Born rushed in and House Grimm was made extinct that day while Harras Harlaw became the new lord at the behest of his king Euron. Now with control of the Island the Iron Born fleet made its way past towards the rich pickings of Reach coast.

 **-x-**

 _ **Oldtown, the Reach…**_

Harry held in his hand the letter from Falia describing how bad things were up at the Shield Isles and while he was glad that some of his earlier work to reinforce the Islands had not been in vain he dearly wished he could strangle that septon with his own bare hands, why had he had to interfere? Harry raged, they could have held the Iron Born off if not for that idiot's ridiculous decisions.

However with the small force of eight thousand men that he had drawn from his own islands while the rest of his Reach holdings were defending themselves against the Iron Born, Harry was responding to a warning of a large fleet sighted off the islands led by Euron himself and only one holding was valuable enough to warrant a strike force that large which had yet to be attacked, Oldtown itself.

It would provide them plenty of plunder Harry reasoned darkly, with many people that they could sell to the existing slavers over in Essos for more gold. Worst because of Renly's idiotic decision to take all the Reach soldiers with him in his lazy journey to Kings Landing, the Hightowers only had five thousand men to defend their home with. Their troops and other Reach coastal houses had against Renly and Mace's express wishes (who did not seem to even realise just what was happening) called their soldiers back but it would take at least a week for them to get here even with a hard march. So they would just have to make do Harry thought as his men entered the city's gates.

Lord Leyton Hightower his old foster father was already dressed in his armour, he was grim but glad to see him.

"Lord Tyrell, while I am still annoyed at your running away when you were my ward it is a relief to see you." Lord Hightower said with a slight smile, looking like he had aged over twenty years with his hair now white as snow and his faced lined many more times than when Harry had last seen him. He might never have been close to the man but it was alarming to see someone ageing so rapidly, he was only just turning fifty this year Harry remarked to himself!

"Well to avoid potential civil war in the Reach, I thought it was the best decision." Harry said offhand with a grin which only made him, Gunthor's elder brother Baelor 'Brightsmile' and Gunthor's younger brother Garth 'Greysteel' who were standing behind their father smile too. Gunthor would have been here too but he was holding the Ring.

"Indeed." Lord Leyton said with an amused grin that did take a few years off his face. "And I am grateful for all you have done for Gunthor but right now we have more serious matters to attend to, your men mean this will at least be a battle rather than a slaughter." Leyton said grimly and Harry nodded.

"What preparations have been made to defend the city?" Harry asked now all of them becoming serious as they planned their strategy, it was Baelor who answered him though.

"The men are either manning war machines on the walls that guard the harbour or in positions around the city to repulse the Iron Born when they try to land. Any suggestions?" Baelor said knowing they were facing a battle like none of them had ever seen before, Harry looked around and when he caught a glimpse of the enormous castle/lighthouse Hightower itself he had an idea.

"Can we put war machines on Hightower?" Harry said pointing at the large tower, the three and Kanoro looking at him surprised. "I brought some collapsible ones with me and the height would greatly aid their range." Harry said and the Hightowers frowned at using their home like that but he was they realised right and they needed every possible advantage they could get.

Harry meanwhile was sad that he had not returned to Oldtown under better circumstances, many of his happy childhood memories were made here and it was here that he had learnt many of the skills that had saved his live and made his journeys possible. He had always intended a return to come full circle and it were but all the events and projects over the last few years had meant he had put it to the side, however it brought a measure of pride to him that he would be here now to save his childhood home.

 **-x-**

The darkness came quicker than they would have liked but thankfully it was a clear night so they could see easily with the bright full moon in the sky, men stood in their armour looking nervous as the anticipation of battle grew worst and worst whether on the walls, under cover in the city or on Hightower itself.

This Harry knew was always the worst part, the waiting. Battles were chaotic and during a fight there was little time to think, the aftermath was also easier to deal with as the senior and more seasoned men could always counsel the younger and less experienced ones when the battle was over. However when you knew what was coming things became so tense, all your worst thoughts and feelings came to the surface as you imagined what was about to happen and thinking of the absolute worst that could happen.

Using eye glasses from the top of Hightower, spotters kept watch for the enemy. They scanned the horizon constantly until finally they saw the Iron Born/Pirate Fleet coming up Whispering Sound. The sheer number of ships struck them dumb for a moment before they regained their senses and started ringing the bells to announce the enemy was in sight.

Everyone in the city tensed, the soldiers held their weapons tighter while the civilians all huddled in their homes and prayed to the gods for protection. From his position near the walls where he could co-ordinate their defences Harry waved his torch in the air, the men on the walls and on Hightower who were told to watch for the signal all acknowledged with a wave of their own torches. Spotters estimated the range and elevation to their catapults before finally setting their projectiles alight before on command, letting them fly.

The large barrels, boulders or whatever else they were using flew through the air. The pirates and the Iron Born either took cover, tried to steer themselves around the incoming projectiles or kept sailing hoping they would miss. Some did indeed miss their targets by either a big margin or mere inches but a good few found their mark, smashing into ships with great force. Men screamed as they were crushed or set ablaze regardless of where they hit but the Iron Born/Pirate fleet sailed on.

As they found the range and the bearing the defenders got better at aiming their shots and many ships were either damaged or sinking as in places the impact had critically damaged them but still ships made their way through through the flack and then they started firing back with their own catapults.

Their shots went wide of their first targets, one soared high over the walls and right towards the city where it hit the tall and imposing Starry Sept. The men and women who were hiding inside screamed as they struggled to escape the fire that quickly took hold and started to destroy the thirteen hundred year old building of black marble and large arched windows.

The men at the front however could not even think about that at the moment as they unleashed their scorpions and then the archers as the ships came closer to the walls, the Iron Born/Pirates doing the same but from their slightly better position on the walls the Reach men were more protected, resulting in slightly fewer casualties.

Unlike in Volantis there was no gate or barrier to prevent ships from entering or leaving so aside from the gauntlet of fire being sent at them the Iron Born and the Pirates were unhindered as they approached the docks, dropping planks to let hoards of screaming, bloodthirsty men ashore or over other ships to get to land.

The Reach men all trembled at the sight of the approaching hoard except for Harry who wearing a rather distinctive green cloak with his usual armour, he and his men were the only ones not trembling with fear but instead looked at the enemy with deadly intent. Harry turned to Kanoro and nodded who returned the gesture before shouting over the cries of the enemy.

"SOUND THE DRUMS!"

Men behind the Reach lines heard the order and began to start playing.

Loud and booming drum battle music sounded across the lines, the Reach men all looked around slightly before its evocative tune started to stir their blood and their determination to defend the city ignited their own personal fire, incidently drowning out the Iron Born and their vicious cries. Harry nearly smiled but instead called out as the Iron Born were nearly upon them.

"SHIELD WALL!"

The men were so anxious and hyped up that they did not even think about it before they obeyed his order, their shields coming up to create a makeshift wall of interlocked shields with their spears or swords ready to impale their enemies when they came.

Flesh and bone collided with the wall mere seconds later, the sheer force of impact actually drove the Reach men back a step before they dug their feet in harder to stop them and with a great heave, forced the Iron Born back. Spears and swords lashed out at the stumbling Iron Born and Pirates, stabbing or slashing at any place they could. The invaders screamed out as hard steel cut them down but there were more to take their place, soon they were pressing against the shield wall again now trying to break through and attack the defenders behind it. Some of them even managed to wound or kill a Reach soldier or two but their large and strong shields by large stopped any weapon in their tracks.

Then the Reach went on the offensive, over the top of their shields they stabbed at the Iron Born and the pirates who wore little actual armour, preferring to use quick hit and run attacks rather than a prolonged fight where full plate provided a critical advantage. There was a reason that the Iron Born stayed close to water and their ships, it provided a quick escape if things did not go their way and the pirates were just the same way.

A choice they were now regretting as the Reach soldiers started to gain a crucial advantage, trampling bodies of dead or wounded Iron Born or pirates as they started pushing forward inflicting great casualties as they pushed them back to the water.

 **-x-**

Euron from his ship watched in anger as he saw his men getting forced back towards their ships, seeing the distinctive green cloak of Harry Fucking Tyrell and seeing red figuratively. He raised his arm and channelled his will to make a large orb of water rise from the sea next to his vessel, freeze it into vicious looking shards of ice and with a laugh of demented amusement hurled them straight at the Tyrell.

 **-x-**

Harry saw the ice shards coming towards him and his men and did not hesitate as the chaos of battle meant no one would see him when he dealt with it. He might have been caught off guard by that gauntlet last time he and Euron had met but this time Harry was ready for it, armed with some Chroyane water magic.

Raising his other hand that had his ring on he evaporated the water and directed it right back at the lines of Iron Born and Pirates, enveloping them in a cloud of extremely hot water vapour. Euron's men screamed as their skin was scolded, many dropping their weapons in an attempt to shield their face and eyes from more hurt. The Reach men were shocked but took immediate advantage and attacked the injured Iron Born without mercy.

 **-x-**

Morgan Twelvetoes was one of the few Iron Born/Pirates that had not been injured by the water vapour although he was shocked and worried as he saw the mainlanders start to gain the upper hand, he followed Euron because although the bastard was a complete madman he was smart and capable of delivering the spoils he promised, now though he was not so sure. That thing just now with the ice and the steam was enough to get him reconsider his position as either there was another magic user against them or Euron had scolded their men on purpose or else by accident.

None of which were good news for him he thought, deciding it was time to get out of here. The former Summer Islander went to return to his ship and get the hell out of here but then stopped when he saw an old man fighting with the younger Reach soldiers, foolish twat Morgan thought dismissively an idiot that old should be at home instead of getting in the way. His elaborate and expensive armour and the jewel encrusted gold chain he wore caught Morgan's eye, stoking his greed and lust for gold that had gone unanswered in recent days and like the infamous magpie he was smirking as he made his way over, _Sky Spike_ his special spear in hand.

The old man did see him coming and swung his large and cumbersome sword at him but Morgan with ease dodged it and started his rather acrobatic style of combat, ducking and weaving his way around the man as he smacked or jabbed at his target. The older man who Morgan noticed had the symbol of House Hightower on his elaborate armour and a sword made of the same metal as his own spear Valyrian steel but it would not save him Morgan thought with a bloodthirsty grin as he impaled the old man's leg, enjoying the cry of pain as the old man fell as his leg gave under the pain. His heavy armour now a hindrance the old man glared at Morgan who just smirked, dragging his spear point over his breast plate until he hooked it under the elaborate chain that had been given to the Hightowers as a gift by the Gardeners when one of their number had married into their house.

Morgan was licking his lips with anticipation and about to thrush his spear into the old man's face when suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his back as cold steel was thrust through his largely unprotected torso, he had been so focused on the old man that he had not noticed the man's squire Rickard Rowan, coming up behind until he had stabbed his sword straight through Morgan's back. Morgan was surprised for a moment but grinned again as blood leaked from his lips and he fell to the ground.

 **-x-**

Euron was shocked at seeing the battle turn against them to quickly, his magic should have dealt with all the Reach soldiers and let his men gain access to the city to rape and reave as they wanted but something had happened to his ice, it had melted and turned into hot steam that had scolded and weakened his own men. Already the Reach bastards much to his anger had taken advantage and were slaughtering the landing force and despite his confusion and anger at his attack being so harshly thwarted, Euron drew on the power of the gauntlet again to send more ice shards at the enemy but just as he was raising his hand he felt a sharp and unexpected pain in his chest. He fell to his knees and although his men did not move to help him as he would have killed them if they had, they did look at him in surprise and concern as he grasped at his chest, wincing at the hard and quick pain.

Euron could not care less about the men in the advanced force, even if his right hand man Morgan had been leading them but this sudden loss of control and feeling as weak as the feeblest child struck fear into even him.

Then just as Euron managed to stumble to his feet, the ship nearest to him was struck by a flaming barrel. Not strange given that the catapults on the walls and Hightower itself were still firing at his ships but this one had come from their rear, Euron and his men turned and looked and saw at least two dozen warships flying the flag of House Redwyne coming up the Whispering Sound inlet behind them, firing their own catapults at the vulnerable rear guard.

Euron fumed, this was not what he had willed. The Storm God himself must have sabotaged him Euron swore and turned to his men and barked out his orders.

"Turn the fleet around, sail back to Greyshield and regroup." His crew did not hesitate to do as he ordered and the Iron Born/Pirate fleet turned around and back up Whispering Sound and to open sea. The Reach ships and catapults did their best to harass them but there were too many for them to stop completely although some were too slow to escape or men who were abandoned on the land, many just throwing down their arms and surrendering as they realised the game was up.

On shore Harry and his men cheered as did the city, the bells ringing out in victory.

* * *

 _ **The next night, Hightower…**_

The arrival of the men who had returned from Renly's ridiculously slow and useless army was a sigh of relief to the men guarding Oldtown and the rest of the Reach coast as finally their beleaguered reserves were bolstered with the strength of thousands of men, the lords that led them were gathered here tonight at Harry's request. In front of them already Leyton Hightower had handed his family's ancestral blade _Vigilance_ over to Baelor Hightower, saying his time fighting battles was long past given his age and injury.

Now in the main hall however ten men knelt before Harry, all Reach men that had done exceptionally well in battle and had been gathered here to be rewarded by him. The first nine had either been knighted or received a reward of some kind already so now he turned his attention to the youngest of them, Rickard Rowan the squire of Lord Leyton Hightower. Harry nearly smiled as he saw how anxious the teenager was but kept his face straight in front of the men.

"Rickard Rowan, Lord Hightower informs me you have always been a devoted and attentive squire who has attended his duties with the utmost loyalty and shown daring where given the opportunity to be brave. All are good marks of your character." Harry said which made the young man blush slightly, causing some of the men to laugh. "But your greatest sign of good character was when you risked your own life to fight alongside Lord Hightower and his family rather than leave and be safe at Goldengrove and your biggest achievement was saving the life of my old foster father Lord Hightower and killing one of the worst and most ruthless pirates to have ever cursed the seas." Harry said now allowing himself to smile and said as he drew his sword, making Rickard very nervous and the rest of men gathered look at him questioningly and several looked alarmed like he as going to kill the boy right there and then.

Instead Harry tapped _Orphanmaker_ on Rickard's shoulder, causing a relieved sigh to go around the room and Rickard to look like he was going to start hyperventilating.

"In the name of the Warrior, I charge you to be brave. In the name of the Father, I charge you to be just. In the name of the Mother, I charge you to defend the young and the innocent. In the name of the Maid I charge you to protect all women. Arise Ser Rickard Rowan." Harry said with a smile having preformed the boy's knighting, Rickard got unsteadily to his feet and was overwhelmed as the entire hall applauded him.

Harry stepped back and allowed the young man his moment, while lords could not knight men if they had not been knighted themselves Lord Leyton had actually knighted him at his request before this meeting so that he could knight Rickard while Lord Hightower had knighted the other nine earlier. Harry wanted to reward the young man that had saved his foster father and create some good standing with the Reach lords that were present and with House Rowan but he was not done yet.

Once the applause had died down Harry took the spear _Sky Spike_ that had been collected from Morgan's body and held it out to Rickard who stared at in shock.

"As a reward for your actions I also give to you _Sky Spike_ to keep and do with as you see fit, a trophy of your first battle." Harry told Rickard who was now completely dazed and Harry actually had to press the spear into his hands before Rickard took it. Harry gestured for Rickard to return to his seat which he did do but only while being led by Baelor Hightower who was gently patting the boy on the back.

"As many of you know." Harry said drawing their attention back to him. "The Starry Sept was set ablaze by the Iron Born during the battle, once the centre of the Faith it was one of the city's greatest accomplishments." Harry said sadly, causing many men including the Head Septon that had survived the fire and who sat with them tonight to look both sad and angry at what had happened. "I have put aside funds to rebuild the Starry Sept and restore it to its former glory."

That got everyone talking and the Head Septon actually had tears running down his face and got up personally to thank Harry who accepted with good grace and shook his hand, it was however on Harry's part a political move. Many lords doubted him as he had not formally enforced the Seven on his lands and this he hoped would convince them of his commitment to honour the core principals of their culture even if Harry had little to no respect for the Seven and would never live his life by their rules, in addition it would hopefully bring the Faith to respect him all of which would be very useful if and when he had to take over Highgarden one day.

With that done Harry turned to the men in the hall and started to speak.

"Not in centuries has anyone dared to attack Oldtown, the richest and greatest city that Westeros has ever had. They came here with the intent of killing us all, taking our women and all the wealth they could lay their thieving, lazy and grubby hands on." Harry said seeing the rage and hatred grow in the eyes of the men before him, even Kanoro was nodding in support having referred to the Iron Born in private to him earlier as the seafaring equivalent of the Dothraki. "They still assault our coast, they sit in Greyshield as if it were their by rights after raping and killing all the Grimms...WELL I WILL NOT STAND FOR IT!" Harry said deliberately raising his voice for the last bit as he wanted to stoke that anger and could see well it was working when they cheered slightly at his declaration.

"I will fight them all the way back to Greyshield, I will drive them from our coast and I will not rest until our people are safe again, till our homes are free of the Iron Born forever and I would be proud if any of you would stand with me and force their insane king and all his band of thieves and rapists back to the out of our home and send them crawling back to their miserable islands once and for all." Harry said and a cheer went up through the room, making him smile.

To himself for the moment though he intended to go a lot further than that though.

* * *

 _Well that is it for Chapter 21 and the beginning of the Coastal War Arc._

 _To let every know in advance the Reach houses that have joined Harry are:_

 _Hightower, Redwyne,_ _Blackbar, Bulwer, Cuy, Costayne, Serry, Chester, Beesbury, Oakheart and Redwyne of Oakenshield._

 _ **Next Chapter**_ _\- Harry and his allies go on the offensive._


	22. Chapter 22 The Coastal War

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter & Game of Thrones._

 _First off thank you for all the support you guys have given, life is so crazy at the moment that I haven't been able to do as much as I wanted. So just for you I managed to find a little time to get this chapter finished._

 _Many of you have been asking for Jon Snow and Daenerys to make an appearance, well just for you one of them will make a cameo in this chapter. Jon Snow first and I will catch up with Daenerys when she gets to Astapor._

 _Euron's wasting away is for a reason, the gauntlet he is using takes a price from a wielder and because Euron is not a natural magic wielder the cost is higher, by now he is reaching a critical point._

 **Chapter 22 – The Coastal War**

 _ **The Ring, the Reach…**_

Screaming Iron Born surrounded the The Ring but no matter how they screamed or how many ladders they used trying to climb the enormous walls with, the defenders refused to allow them access as archers on the walls picked them off while other men pushed the ladders off the walls, sending any Iron Born that happened to be on them plunging to the ground.

Ser Gunthor Hightower was worried for his wife and their new son as he surveyed the situation, looking out at the sea of badly organised tents that surrounded the castle, he had been unable to get any news of what was happening else where as most ravens where being shot down by the enemy before they even reached the castle but he could only hope that things were better.

He was about to retire to his rooms and spend some time with his family when a bird swooped down from very high up and dropped a scroll at his feet, he got a quick glimpse of blood red feathers and then the bird was gone, flying higher and faster than any raven ever could. Gunthor picked up the scroll and read it quickly, a smile emerging on his face and he rushed to his rooms where he found his wife Talla playing with their young son Randyll, the stress showing on her face but she smiled for the sake of their son. She looked up and saw the smile on his face and asked.

"What is it?"

"Help is coming, we will not be under siege much longer." Gunthor told her while handing her the message and then picking up their young son who was now three years old and would soon be too big for him to do that any more, Randyll beamed at the sight of his father and cried out.

"DADDY!"

Gunthor's eyes nearly watered at that, now holding his son...his son words that honestly scared, delighted and shocked him all in one go. Never had he thought to be a father, nor have a wife as beautiful as Talla.

Speaking of his wife now that she had read the scroll she looked far better, a relief army was coming under Harry's command to break the siege now enough men had returned from Renly's bloated host.

 **\- x -**

Two days later under cover of darkness Harry led a charge on the Iron Born camp, not used to siege warfare they had not put patrols in place to spot land armies approaching meaning Harry and his army had been able to get close enough for a surprise attack.

The riders that went in first cut down whatever men where out of their tents while others with torches set the disorganised tents alight, sending half burned or dressed men running around in complete chaos as they little time to think or react to anything.

But worst for them was yet to come as the infantry and heavy cavalry arrived on the scene, smashing into the Iron Born camp with such force that they shattered any sense of leadership or unity with many of the Iron Born just taking flight and running only for the cavalry to run them down.

Harry riding Storm was amongst the heavy cavalry as they charged, swinging his sword with such force that he either split necks open or took a head off completely. When the battlefield became too crowded he dismounted and joined the armoured infantry in the fight, drawing his second sword and with his two blades hacking into the enemy, butchering them with his green cloak acting as a beacon to his troops who could see the ease with which their commander was slaughtering their enemy, regarding it with awe and respecting him a lot more. He might be a rich lord but to the professional warriors he was one hell of a soldier that was not afraid to get down and bloody with them on the field of battle.

An hour later it was all over, while the few thousand corpses were disposed of and the hundred odd prisoners they had taken were secured, Harry met a relieved Gunthor and Talla who he greeted warmly before he went about arranging for Talla and young Randyll to be sent to the safety of Bloodstone until things had settled. With that done and the civilians that had taken shelter at the castle send back to whatever was left of their homes, Harry gathered the lords under his command in the main hall to discuss their next move.

"With the last siege of the coast lifted we have to strike before the Iron Born have a chance to regroup." Harry said to the group that sat around the long table, all of them even Kanoro nodded in agreement. "So we must retake Greyshield and re-establish a defence perimeter to keep them out."

The lords were surprised at the idea, a landing from the water was sure to be hard as they had proven themselves when the Iron Born had tried to do the same thing at Oldtown although all of them doubted the Iron Born would have any kind of defence like they had. Still there were a large number of enemy ships around the island and that meant a naval battle against the Iron Born and pirates on their preferred battlefield, the sea.

"I don't know if we have the ships for that." Paxter Redwyne said with concern, he might be a legendary commander with a large navy but even he hesitated about such an engagement. Other lords who contributed ships and men to their forces were likewise worried but Harry smiled.

"There is a weapon on my ships that will more than make up for their skill on the water and Oakenshield sent word of a large number of ships going north in search of more easy pickings than risk facing us again." Harry said, only about two hundred ships remained around Greyshield which he had confirmed yesterday in a quick scout of his own. They could easily match and surpass that number of ships and the harpax although it had never been used publicly before was effective in all their tests.

The landing could be harsh and costly but Harry had a few ways he could reduce the risk, sharing a grin with Kanoro who like him knew of the harpax and his special abilities. The other lords looked unsure of his claims but followed his lead as he had not led them wrong so far.

 **\- x -**

As the _Silence_ in the dead of night led the Reach navy of around five hundred ships, Harry retreated to his cabin and locked the door before donning his cloak and apparating to Greyshield. He quickly set about destroying all the heavy catapults or scorpions that could harm their ships or landing force before quickly destroying the gate of the castle so they could not close it and with a satisfied nod apparated back to his ship, imagining the faces of the Iron Born when they found their best land based weapons destroyed and laughing quietly to himself.

Then he went and got a couple of hours sleep to rest up for the battle, rising at the early morning dawn and dressed in his armour coming out on deck to find his men either ready or getting ready with the harpax already set up on deck. He was putting a lot of faith in this invention of Alwyn's but they had worked well in all the tests and no one else had ever seen anything like it before so this should be just the edge they needed.

He looked at the composition of their fleet, while they had five hundred ships, many were converted cargo ships and long ships that carried their invasion force and were well back of the two hundred warships that were leading the fleet. Lords were keeping most of their ships back until they had secured Greyshield so the coast was protected in case they were flanked.

"ENEMY IN SIGHT!" The lookout cried from the crow's nest and they all followed the direction he was pointing in and the horizon began to populate with dark spots that formed into ships as they got closer. All the Reach and Stepstones men tensed as they waited for them to close the range, drums started to play to make sure the crew were at their battle stations.

The harpax was useless at long range so they would engage with catapults until they had closed the gap Harry thought, making sure that his signal men used flags to communicate this to the other ships. When finally they were close enough, their more advanced catapults were readied.

"LOAD AND TAKE AIM!" Harry commanded and the men adjusted as best they could before loading the barrels, boulders or whatever else they were using, his signal men sending the message to other ships who readied their own weapons.

Harry ruthlessly suppressed any nervousness he was feeling and gave his next command.

"FIRE AND LOOSE!"

The men set the projectiles alight and released the tight rope, projectiles soared through the air in a curved bow shaped course before it started down towards the enemy with extreme speed. Few of the first volley found their mark but it allowed the men to perfect their aim and elevation, getting closer and closer to their targets. The Iron Born now entered the range of their own catapults but they then had to get the range and the baring themselves.

Harry's ships found it first and started to slam their flaming projectiles straight into whatever Iron Born ship they could hit, some slowing as their masts collapsed and their ships caught fire or they took on water from holds left in their hulls. Eventually some managed to get a shot in on Harry's ships but a couple of dozen where already out of action and the range was really closing.

Estimating they were now in range to deploy the harpax, Harry turned to the waiting men and shouted.

"TAKE AIM AND FIRE!"

The harpax men did exactly as they had practised many times before and took aim at the nearest warship, sending their sharp pronged grapple hook from the ballista into the wooden planks of the Iron Born war galley. It punched straight through and lodged itself too firmly for the enemy to remove without tearing out their own hull, as the men winched the enemy ship close the Iron Born frantically tried to cut the rope but the length of the grapple made that impossible. Archers and scorpions began picking off the crew on deck with ease as they struggled to free their ship, most of them dying without even the chance to look their killers in the eye.

Once the ship was crew-less, Harry and his people cut it loose deciding to recover it later and moved on to the next, this time throwing a barrel of oil onto the deck of the Iron Born ship and then a scorpion set it ablaze with a fire bolt.

All of Harry's ships were using the harpax and it proved even more effective than they had dreamed, they had lost eight ships while the Iron Born had lost one hundred and eighty seven. Many to fire and ramming while ninety had been captured, a skeleton crew was sailing them back to Oldtown where they would be repaired and distributed amongst the Reach Coastal houses and Harry might take a few as well.

Harry was very satisfied and resolved there and then to reward Alwyn with something, the harpax had been even more effective than they had ever dreamed but the day was not over yet.

 **\- x -**

A few hours later the rest of Harry's fleet approached Greyshield, the island was lush and fertile like much of the Reach but there was little sign of farming as the surviving population of the island stayed in their homes, terrified under the rule of the Iron Born who took everything they had and worst besides.

Harry saw the Iron Born gathered on the beach, disorganised and few in number presumably to try and repel them when they landed. Harry just shook his head at their foolishness, even with the castle's gate broken it still offered better protection than being out and exposed on a beach. The warships were able to shatter them with a few volleys before the converted freighters and long ships came up to land their men, Harry switching his flag to one of the long ships as they came in to join in the landing. Kanoro at his side was almost looking forward to the fight, liberating an island from a band of murderers, rapists and thieves was a far more honourable thing to do with their time than wasting time with tourneys or sitting at home while people suffered.

Everyone checked their weapons and armour one last time and tensed as the ships got closer to land, bracing themselves for the jolt when the boats ran into the sand of the beach. Rocking slightly the men leapt off, their feet digging slightly into the sand before they began to charge up the beach, Harry with his sword and shield in hand leading the charge with more and more men landing and then joining the charge behind him.

Dozens, then hundreds. Soon it would be thousands.

Most of the shattered Iron Born seeing the large number of men running up the beach at them ran back to the castle while a few more foolishly than courageously tried to stand and fight. Harry came up to one filthy and ugly scar covered raider who only managed to get a partial war cry out before Harry impaled him with a sword through the gut, viciously tearing it out so the man's inners felt onto the sand before he continued his charge up the beach, him and Kanoro led the troops from the front Harry's green cape easily recognisable inspiring his troops as they saw him cut down the enemy without any hesitation or trouble at all. Soon they entered the town where more of the Iron Born had gathered, axes and arrows bounced harmlessly off Harry's shield as he forced his way through, one tried to get close enough to kill him with a battle axe only for Harry to smash his face in with a hard smack in the face with his shield. The locals watched with fearful glance but also hopeful that soon they would be free of their greatly hated masters.

Soon the Reach men reached the castle, Grimston where the Iron Born had quickly tried to put up a primitive barricade to stop their advance but it was far from complete and Harry's men easily overwhelmed it, forcing their way into the castle.

 **\- x -**

Kanoro felt the familiar rush of a fight and quietly enjoyed it, not liking to kill but fighting was a pure form of expression and one he knew better than even his lord. Men expressed themselves in how they fought and moved, it was one of the reasons he had followed Harry because he had been able to tell that he was no monster and in fact was an honourable man.

That was why he was disappointed when he came across the would be new lord of this castle, Harras Harlaw. Given how the man had taken this castle he had expected a capable warrior at least but instead Harras seemed to be acting more like an animal, more ferocity than cunning and the longer the fight went on Harras apparently kept expecting his sword to break and began to tire when he didn't and making more mistakes in a desperate attempt to break through his defence.

"So that is how you won this castle." Kanoro said in his hard practised common tongue as they struggled. "You use your sword to break theirs or overwhelm them, how...disappointing." Kanoro said with dismay that only for Harras to snarl like an animal and renew his attack, now even more sloppy than before...a mistake that coast him his life.

Kanoro remained calm and collected so he took advantage of his sloppy defence and with a burst of strength severed the sword arm of Harras at the elbow and then without missing a beat, took his his head off with a single stroke.

A cheer went through the air as he finished, the enemy throwing down their weapons at the death of their leader, the cries of joy from the islanders that lived here as they realised that the great hated invaders had been overthrown and from their own men who called out in victory.

Harry found him and nodded in approval at Harras' demise, a nod Kanoro returned and Harry picked up the fallen _Nightfall_ and handed it to his right hand man who looked at him with surprise before taking it. Well Kanoro thought with amusement, now I have a sword to give my second son.

 **\- x -**

The execution of the prisoners took most of the day, they were all guilty of rape, murder, theft and much more. The only reason the prisoners had been spared in Oldtown was they would be made to work in rebuilding all they had destroyed especially the Starry Sept before they were either sent to the Wall or killed, ruthless but also practical.

Harry had heard more than one man refer to him as the 'Bloody Rose' after how harshly he treated his prisoners and how he had slaughtered the Iron Born in battle. Not a title he particularly felt comfortable with but it spread faster than he could contain it, some of the nobles actually told him to encourage it as it spread a fierce and powerful impression of him that would strike fear into their enemies so with reluctance he accepted it.

Caelys' nurses tended to their own wounded and with good sanitation and nutrition not to mention decent care would have most of them on their feet again.

Those matters aside he had been busy seeing to the needs of the islanders who had all their food and valuables stolen, half of it was probably either at the bottom of the ocean or on its way to the Iron Islands by now so supplies would have to be shipped here and then there was the matter of establishing a new lord here to run it all when they were gone. He would have given it to Kanoro who didn't want it or Gunthor straight away but he could not be seen to favour the Hightowers so early in this campaign as he was still a new leader to the houses that followed him, not rewarding them would lead to doubt and with the need to garrison the coast and islands in case of future attacks (some of which were more vulnerable than others) he could not afford to lose men. They might have beaten the Iron Born and their pirate allies back for now but they would return and the only way for him to prevent this was to strike first and drive them all the way back to their islands.

To do that he needed ships and men.

So in the end he had appointed Ser Jon Oakheart to rule the island, he had led his family's men on the beaches and shown considerable valour in battle so it was a reasonable choice. Harry meanwhile had some anger to vent and so in the dead of night he was alone at the side of the cliffs at the east of the island.

Well not completely alone.

"My lord...please I was just serving the will of the Seven." The Septon said, pleading with him as his hands and feet were bound with chains that were attached to a heavy stone block. Harry's gaze was sharp and angry.

"You put the entire Reach, countless lives at risk and ruined or ended many on this island. Harras Harlaw was no follower of the Seven and Lord Grimm did not accept his challenge but you in your bloated sense of self worth decided you knew the gods will?" Harry said with derision, with considerable effort he lifted the stone block and the Septon's eyes widened in terror at what was about to happen, Harry told him coldly.

"If you like the followers of the Drowned God so much then you can join them."

With that Harry threw the block over the cliff's edge, the chain quickly started following it. The septon begged desperately but Harry remained unmoved as the man was dragged over the edge and plummeted to the water below.

Harry might not relish killing but that man saw nothing wrong with his actions and would gladly repeat them, he cared nothing for the misery he had caused here on Greyshield or the danger he had placed those on the mainland with, he was too full of the Seven and his own pride so to ensure he would not threaten this island or its people again now he had dealt with him.

He returned to the castle after a walk to clear his head and was given a raven by one of his men, he sighed when he saw it was the symbol used by Renly and immediately assumed it was yet another attempt to get him to bring all of his men to Renly's slow moving host while the Iron Born wreaked havoc on the coast.

So he was quite surprised to find it in fact was actually from his sister, promising more men if he would come in person to their camp and explain the situation on the coast. While it was problematic for him to leave when he was effectively leading the war against the Iron Born if he wanted to continue to push them north he would need more men.

So he left Gunthor and Baelor in charge of holding the line which hopefully would not be challenged while he was away and sailed for the coast before being the two week ride to Renly's camp, hopeful that for once perhaps he might actually find get the men he needed.

* * *

 _ **The Red Keep, Kings Landing…**_

The throne room was full of the false cheer that had been in place since Joffrey had ascended to the throne, he held court with his mother smirking like they owned the whole world and could do with it what they wished. Right now they were about to try and get some of their perverse pleasure out of tormenting their subjects or playthings which was a more accurate description of how they thought of their own courtiers.

One of their unfortunate favourites was Sansa Stark who stood there nearly shaking as the idiotic Lance read out an exaggerated account of her brother's latest victory against the Lannister army, only a fool would believe it. Tales of her brother's bloodthirsty pack of wolves descending on 'innocent' men and women and tearing them apart and that was the most level headed explanation for Tywin Lannister's inability to match Robb Stark on the field. It was almost laughable to hear their excuses for their own stupidity.

"Maybe if I send your severed head to your brother he would do homage to his king and end his foolish war." Joffrey said looking at the bruised and naked Sansa, a sadistic grin crossing his face while his mother looked on with deep satisfaction.

Sansa nearly started begging as she had before she had read her father's unexpected letter, to act like a coward for their amusement but then the words of her father ran again through her mind, causing her to stand straight and tall however much her body was hurting or her lack of clothes and looked Joffrey straight in the eye making him look very uncomfortable at her intense glare.

"Do it then, if it spares me the pain and disgust I feel every time I have to look at you then so be it." Her voice was strong surprising even her and a gasp went across the room while Joffrey and his mother looked at her like she had changed into another person right before their eyes. Well maybe she had Sansa thought to herself, even if they did kill her then she would be free of them and Robb would not have to limit his actions for her sake. Joffrey actually went red in the face and shouted like a child having a tantrum.

"I can have you tortured till you beg for death, your life is at my command." He told her but his weaselly little voice no longer made her shake in fear, her father had been right she thought with a slight smile. She just stared defiantly back at him as murmurs went around the court as they looked at this bruised and naked girl standing up to the king.

Cersei was seething inside as this barbarian girl had the gall to stand there and mock her golden king, she was about to scream for the girl to die right there and then when she heart sank as someone she despised even more entered the room.

"I see my nephew your common sense has once again been overwhelmed by your bloodlust, Hound give the girl your cloak and Bronn, kill Ser Trant." Tyrion said without care as he entered the room, the Hound doing as he was told without a second of hesitation and Bronn gaining a vicious grin as he advanced on Ser Trant who looked panicked towards his king before Bronn did as he was bid and struck him down, spilling his blood across the floor.

While everyone even Sansa looked on shocked that one of the Kingsguard had just been executed right in front of them, Joffrey and Cersei were more shocked than any of them and Tyrion took the opportunity as Sansa was being wrapped up in the Hound's cloak to say with his usual sardonic tone.

"I will not put Jaime's or any other prisoner's lives at risk to satisfy your cravings for violence or blood shed your grace, Lady Sansa will be returned to her rooms and kept there for now until her injuries are healed." Tyrion and his men then escorted Lady Sansa out of the room and without looking back he ordered. "Someone clean up the mess Ser Trant has made of the throne room and remove the body."

Tyrion was surprised slightly at his own actions but at the time they seemed like the smart thing to do, he needed to keep Joffrey under control to avoid another riot and keeping Sansa Stark whole and healthy to make sure his brother stayed the same although he had heard from Varys that Jaime was being treated well by the Starks not even trying to escape, not least because he had told them truthfully that it was Lancel that had pushed Bran Stark out of the window on their sister's orders.

Another reason he had taken to tormenting Lancel when ever he could Tyrion thought with a smirk.

* * *

 _ **Bloodstone, the Stepstones…**_

Arya was groaning as she ached from the multiple blows of Jaqen's staff as she could not see through the blindfold, his lessons were harsh but she had learnt the hard way to master her senses, to use her ears and nose more and not be dependant on her eyes.

Syrio and the other instructors were intensifying her training, if she was not in the yard being exhausted and bruised she was in the library reading books that Lady Rhaenys and Lady Olenna had suggested to her, specifically journals of great women throughout history or playing cyvasse with Jothos Velaryon to develop her tactical and strategic skills. Any time left she could spent with Nymeria, rebuilding their connection.

It was exhausting and she had little energy for anything else but she did not mind at all, in fact she was grateful as the more she learnt the better equipped she was for when she took her revenge on the Lannisters. Her cheeks darkened though as she saw the blacksmith Gendry staring at her in her sparring outfit, still not used to dealing with a boy looking at her like a girl. He should have been focusing on his own training she thought, trying to hide her embarrassment. Gendry was learning to wield his hammer to break men rather than make steel and would soon be heading out to join the front lines in the war against the Iron Born.

That she hoped would spare her any more blushing and was glad when Nymeria came up to her, nuzzling her her hand with her nose and she could for a while play with her direwolf to distract herself from thoughts of boys and ruling.

* * *

 _ **Storm's End the Stormlands, two weeks later…**_

Harry's body and the bodies of the rest of the men that rode with him were sore and exhausted when they finally reached Renly's camp, they had been riding day and night for two weeks to get here and were grateful for the chance to rest properly even for a short time although Harry himself had grown increasingly unsure of the reason for his sister bringing him here as they rode. While he doubted it was a trap, if they meant to send him men why not just do it? Why have him ride all the way to the camp? His doubts about this were increasing as each moment passed but nevertheless Harry led his men into the camp.

It was enormous although Harry had seen bigger camps on his travels, namely in Yi Ti and while well organised even he new to the camp could sense the boredom that radiated across it, especially from the men of the Stormlands. They had come expecting to fight and win glory for themselves, their families and their homeland, instead they were languishing here and morale falling lower every day, Harry shook his head, if Renly and Loras and indeed Margaery were unaware of how bad the mood was in the camp then any understanding of others they might have had must surely have gone.

Crowns had done worst to people before Harry thought darkly.

He and his men were very different to them, it was more than just a feeling though Harry thought as he walked through the camp. Their armour and weapons was clean and as fresh as the day they were made, Harry and his men meanwhile while their armour was cleaned but still had traces of mud, blood and rust that could be found here and there. There were dents in the steel from where enemy weapons had hit it or shields had bashed it, and more critically there was a confidence with which they moved not naively as the men in Renly's camp as most had never seen war before, no Harry's men moved precisely with an alertness their less experienced compatriots lacked.

Most men gave Harry an admiring glance as he passed, he himself was glad of it as the more they realised he was not like his forefathers now then less he had to prove to them later. The camp's septon even gave him a bow which Harry returned with a nod of his head, no doubt due to his committing resources to rebuild the Starry Sept.

He eventually navigated the sea of tents to find Renly, sitting in on a tourney of all things which made Harry shake his head, at least he could pat himself on the back for reading Renly correctly. He was about to make himself known when he noticed an auburn haired woman sitting near the 'royal' stand. He had never met her before but given the similar looks between her and Sansa Stark it could only be the girl's mother, Catelyn Stark. He was a bit surprised at her presence but it was he realised quickly an ideal opportunity to give her the news about Arya and return _Ice_ to House Stark, he was about to go and find a tent so he could quickly apparate back to Bloodstone to pick up Arya's letter and _Ice_ when Margaery noticed him.

"HARRY!" She called out with a smile on his face, so Harry forced a grin and went over to see his sister and new goodbrother. He felt every eye fall on him as he approached so he minded his manners.

"Your graces." Harry said with a slight bow and was quick to catch his sister and she came over and gave him a rather unexpected hug, his smile became genuine as he caught her in his arms and how happy she was to be queen even if it was to a waste of space like Renly.

"Are you alright? I heard words you'd been injured?" Margaery asked looking him over with a keen eye which only made Harry laugh, feeling in much better humour than when he had arrived.

"Only in the Iron Born's dreams dear sister." Harry reassured her and he turned to face Renly who looked at him with a wide and jolly smile that seemed to dim any intelligence that had been in his eyes and there had not been a lot there to start with Harry thought with disdain his bad mood starting to return.

"Lord Tyrell, welcome to my camp I only wish you had been here earlier to enjoy the tourney I am throwing in honour of your victory at Greyshield." Renly said like he had done Harry a great favour.

However Harry was not grateful for a tourney as everyone knew he considered them a waste of time, this was about Renly indulging himself in the benefits of his station just like his brother had done. Harry could already see in his mind's eye a fatter Renly trying to look resplendent on the Iron Throne but looking as much of a wastrel as his brother if not worst, at least Robert had been an admired warrior once and gotten the glory of winning his crown...Renly would not even have that.

History was repeating itself and Harry honestly did not think it would thank them for it, his mood darkened and while he kept his smile on his face it was a performance nothing more.

"Let's retire to my tent and discuss the distribution of my soldiers." Renly said with a smile and to Harry it looked more than a little stupid but if it got him the troops Harry needed to push the Iron Born north he could put up with it, so Harry followed him back to his tent and was disappointed at how it was set up for luxury rather than practicality but put that aside and was ready to discuss getting additional men to the front when Renly started speaking.

"I can of course forgive the recalling of men by the coastal houses but now that the Iron Born have been defeated I will expect them to return to camp along with your own men and aid our march to Kings Landing." Renly said with a confident smile on his face.

Harry's mood instantly turned far darker as the truth dawned on him, there had never been any intention of giving him more men instead it had been an excuse to get him here because they thought he would cave in Renly's presence.

"We might have beaten them back your grace but the Iron Born will come again, to protect the Reach's coast the armies of the coastal houses and mine must stay were they are." Harry said gritting his teeth with effort to stay civil when all he wanted to do was curse the annoying prick right in front of him. Renly however either did accept that or pretended not to hear it and told him with a laugh.

"Once we have taken Kings Landing and Robb Stark has bend the knee I will gladly lead our army against the Iron Born I assure you, but for now I need all my men here to win this war for House Baratheon." Renly told him with that stupid grin still on his face.

Harry inside was seething however calm he appeared on the outside, this fucking moron was going to be the death of countless people on the coast just so he could have his enormous army around him and feel important. How long would it take for him to get to Kings Landing and win the city...a month...a year? And just how was he going to get Robb Stark to bend the knee? Harry honestly had met some stupid people in his life but he didn't think anyone was quite as pathetically naive and just plain dumb as Renly Baratheon.

"I must respectfully decline your grace." Harry said coldly, his eyes hardening until his gaze was as hard as diamonds. "While you seem content to allow my homeland to bleed and burn I am not." Harry told him and while Renly looked shocked at the unexpected refusal and the female knight who wore the symbol of House Tarth on her armour that was guarding Renly glared at him Harry left the tent with the intention of leaving the next day to return to the front. He was about ready to gut Renly right there and then as how could someone be that much of idiot? He raged. Was it genetic? Were all the men of his house a bunch of morons? Harry thought to himself, Stannis maybe not but he could only reserve judgement on that until he had seen more of the man in action.

He ducked into his borrowed tent and when he was sure the coast was clear he apparated back to Bloodstone and got both _Ice_ and the letter Arya had written for her mother and returned quickly, while Lady Catelyn was here he might as well pass them on while he thought what the hell he was going to do.

He left the tent with the sword wrapped up in a bundle and his men forming behind him as he went looking for Lady Stark, it did not take him long as her tent was not far from his. She had once been a beauty Harry noted but lines had appeared across her face which were no doubt due to stress, after all she had lost her husband, her father, two sons and her daughters either missing or a captive. Such pressure would no doubt break a lesser woman and it made Harry respect her more, she looked up and her blue eyes were irritated but polite.

"Lord Tyrell, I noticed your arrival earlier." She greeted him but clearly wanted him gone, with a glance around to make sure there was no one else present Harry put the bundle containing _Ice_ down on the table and unwrapped it to reveal the sword inside. Catelyn was struck dumb at the sight of her late husband's sword and looked confused at Harry until he explained.

"It was my men that rescued and tended to him after he was ambushed trying to flee the Red Keep, Baelish had ordered it to start the war we are in now. My only regret is we could not stop the poison that took Lord Stark's life but I assure you Lady Catelyn he did not suffer." Harry told her earnestly, it still pained him that he had failed to save Lord Stark and only made his determination to protect Arya even stronger...he had failed once never again he resolved.

"Petyr!" Catelyn exclaimed in denial but when she had calmed down Harry explained the situation to her, while she was fiercely loyal to her family the way Petyr leered at her and the fact Lysa had not come to their aid in the war was evidence in his favour so she could do little to argue against it. Harry nodded and told her the rest now that he had her full attention.

"I was able to rescue your daughter Arya when I attempted to save Lord Stark, she is safe under my protection at Bloodstone. She sent you this letter." Harry said passing the message Arya had sent her mother who grabbed it roughly before nearly tearing it open and reading it as fast as her eyes would let her. A tear rolled down her cheek and she held the letter close to her chest, a smile now on her face and taking years off of her as she had the first good news in likely a long time.

"When can she be sent to Riverrun?" Catelyn demanded, eager to have her daughter back. Harry who had been smiling himself then frowned at her request and answered her as politely as he could.

"Lady Stark, I swore an oath to Lord Stark before he died that I would protect Arya and shield her from harm and I intend to fulfil that promise. She will not be safe with you and Robb while the war is going on, your son is now a king and kings are always surrounded by snakes that would strike them down for their own benefit. She is hidden and protected in my home and learning at a very fast rate as her teachers have informed me, if the worst should happen then she will be safe with no one being the wiser."

Catelyn wanted to argue but couldn't as she knew full well the odds against her son and just who they were up against...Tywin Lannister. A man of that great cunning and ruthlessness would not stop until all members of House Stark were dead and while she wanted her daughter in her arms again, she knew she would be safer far from the war. Even though in the North the Glovers had retaken Deepwood Motte and the Tallharts had taken back Torrhen's Square and they had the Lannister army on the run the future was always in question, who knows what vicious scheme the Old Lion could cook up.

"I understand Lord Tyrell, but may I send her a letter? I want her to know..." Catelyn started talking but failed as her voice broke with joy at her daughter being alive and safe, Sansa might be a prisoner but at least she knew Arya was alright. Lord Tyrell nodded and they talked about a code system they could use for Arya to correspond with her mother and brother via ravens. She wrote a letter there and then for her daughter which Harry would pass along later, she took _Ice_ with the intention of giving it to Robb when she returned to him after her talks with Renly which Harry knew were likely to be as fruitless as his own.

 **\- x -**

Night fell and Harry was getting ready to finally have some overdue sleep after being on the road riding hard for days, he would have used magic to get back but did not want any awkward questions about how he had done it so fast, that meant doing things the normal way.

He was still fuming inside over having to come here in the first place and leaving the front lines for nothing, the Iron Born could return at any time and he needed to be there when it happened if for no other reason than to counter Euron. The only good thing that had come about from it was that he had managed to establish a weak but potentially useful tie to House Stark.

Loras and Margaery entered his tent and looked furious, Harry gave an irritated sigh as he knew full well a confrontation was coming and turned with his arms folded and his face resigned.

"What did you say to Renly? I just spent an hour reassuring him that our house fully supports him?" Loras demanded as he stormed in.

"I told him that I will not be sending the men back from the coast where they are badly needed! We might have beaten the Iron Born back but as soon as their battered pride demands it they will return, I can't afford to have men wasting time here on tourneys when there is a war going on." Harry said firmly, sure in his judgement and unshakable as stone.

"But surely they aren't such a threat? We beat them back before we could do it again." Margaery said with a naivety in military matters that was to be expected, after all Olenna knew nothing of such things and thought them foolish so her best student would likewise have a similar mindset. Harry made a note to himself to make sure Arya knew of such things before turning his attention back to his siblings.

"They raid and rape our homeland and you will just let them because you think they will be easy to beat? Little comfort to the people who actually live there and to our vassals that would endure those attacks while their fighting men are away, acting useless tourneys for a moron who knows nothing about being a king and lives in a fucking dream world of his own devising where everything is sunshine and roses!" Harry said his own voice starting to rise as his tiredness and irritation stretched his patience too far. Loras suddenly became a purple colour like their father had the last time Harry and Mace had met.

"HOW DARE YOU! RENLY IS A GREAT KING!" Loras shouted at Harry whose glare only got stronger as he spoke back albeit quieter than his brother.

"Renly has wasted weeks camping here with his pointless tourneys. He could have been in Kings Landing and ended this war by now if he were less preoccupied with the benefits of his position and cared more about the responsibilities that came with it." Harry fired back and as the two brothers argued for what seemed like an age while Margaery tried in vain to play peace keeper, Harry realised that he had only one choice if he wanted to even the odds against him and continue to hound the Iron Born to their home...he would have to again deploy the dragons but where and how?

That was a question that haunted him all night as he tried to sleep.

* * *

 _ **The Westerlands Coast…**_

Harry Tyrell had a right to be concerned as denied the rich pickings of the Reach coast, the Iron Born and their pirate allies were enjoying themselves with whatever was left to take on the Westerlands coast. No settlement escaped unscathed and they had barely enough to time to rally after one raid before another came, the coastal houses wept as their lands and families were devastated but Tywin Lannister would not let their men march home to protect them.

Euron Greyjoy was tonight anchored off Riverspring and enjoying the last daughter of House Sarwyck Elyana. He took a great deal of pleasure at watching her hang her head in shame as she limped off towards the ruined castle that had been her home, he tried to gather some water to throw at her but no matter how hard he tried he could not seem to get it to respond. He was frustrated and then with a surge of anger finally managed to get the water to respond only the girl was now far away.

He could not understand why his control of it was slipping or why his hair which had once been brown was now as a white as fresh snow or his face lined so much but as long as it did what he wanted why should he care? When he returned to kill that fucker that had ruined his great reave, surely he would regain control?

The men watched their king though and many wondered if their king was losing his grip on reality as he started to laugh wildly for no reason at all.

* * *

 _ **The cliffs near Storm's End, the following morning…**_

The wind was cold and hard as a party led by Renly Baratheon rode out to meet with his brother who had landed nearby, Harry was struggling not to scowl as despite his best efforts his sister had badgered him into joining the party to 'project unity'. He was going to ride back for the front later that day regardless of what anyone said but for whatever was left of his relationship with his sister he had agreed to ride with them. Lady Stark was riding with them too, largely at his sister's insistence to give the impression that the Starks and their allies had sided with Renly, another of the pointless posturing his house was known for Harry thought to himself. If he did eventually become head of their house that was something he was going to put a stop too.

Renly and Loras were ignoring him which suited Harry fine, their idiocy drove him up the wall anyway and the female knight that had apparently bested Loras to join the Renly's Kingsguard was glaring at him. Harry ignored Brienne of Tarth as she was named, her own blind devotion to Renly was rather sad to him as she was he had heard a remarkably skilled warrior, swore to a king that would not appreciate her or use her to her greatest potential. There seemed to be a lot of that going around Harry mused with sadness, what a waste.

Stannis' party then came into view and although in matched their numbers as the two would be kings dug their standards into the ground, Harry took a moment to study Stannis Baratheon. He was as severe as ever, looking even more stern and uncompromising than he had the last he'd seen him which was on his first visit to Kings Landing years ago. He kept his hair cropped short and no beard to get in the way and his armour was practical, a lean man and muscular man unlike the more slender Renly the picture of a Storm King Harry thought, it was shame he did not have a more flexible personality or Harry would probably have declared for him. Someone who would take the position of king seriously rather than ignore his responsibilities.

Just as he was about to tune out the rest of the two men both refusing to bend to the other however, Harry noticed the flame haired woman that was now speaking at Stannis' side.

"The king has taken for his sigil the fiery heart of the Lord of Light."

While Renly joked of her admittedly great beautiful being the reason for Stannis finding religion, Harry's eyes narrowed with anger. He had hoped to never see one of these worshippers of the Red God again and could not help but speak his disgust at the mere sight of her.

"Westeros needs your Lord of Light like it needs the Great Spring Sickness come again." Everyone turned their attention to him including the Red Priestess who did not look pleased at his comparing her god to a disease that had killed hundreds if not thousands. Renly was surprised to hear him speak and at the hatred Harry was directing at the fire priestess.

"Do you know her Lord Tyrell?" He asked and Harry answered without taking his eyes off the woman known as Melisandre who glared at him in turn.

"This one personally your grace...no but I know her kind. I met them during my travelling days, they love burning people alive especially children if memory serves." Harry told his 'king' who instantly looked ill at the mention of burning children alive as did the rest of Renly's group and one member of Stannis' party too, a man at Stannis' right with a grey beard and what looked like fingers missing from one of his hands. Melisandre did not flinch at the mention of burning children and instead answered like it was nothing to be ashamed of.

"They were necessary sacrifices, our lord commands it." She had no guilt about it, none at all Harry realised and he decided to really rile her up in the hopes she would do something stupid so he could end her right here and now before she corrupted Westeros with her religion.

"I led the charge into Volantis to stop their 'Great Festival' where they would have burned thousands of innocents including babes not even out of their mothers' bellies for their lord." Harry said and the anger in Melisandre's eyes intensified. "We must have killed thousands of your brothers and sisters in faith that day, burned your great temple to the ground and from what I hear your faith is not particularly popular in Essos these days. People take exception to burning children it seems." Harry said with a serious look on his face and while Melisandre looked ready to burst she did nothing.

Their audience looked on with both interest and concern as they glared at each other. Melisandre eventually saying.

"Look to your sins Lord Tyrell for the night is dark and full of terrors." If that was meant to scare Harry it failed and he snapped back.

"A cult that burns children for their god can only be serving an evil creature. Look to your sins because I' am one of those terrors."

A chill ran through all of them as they looked on before eventually getting back to the matter of who was going to sit on the Iron Throne, Harry and Melisandre just glared at each other until the groups parted ways.

* * *

Harry rode out later that afternoon after bidding a difficult farewell to Margaery and Loras, neither was happy with his refusal to play nice with Renly when it meant threatening the Reach's security. He had a long ride ahead of them and Harry had other things to do as well, he carried on with the horse for the whole two days on a hard ride before that night at the inn they stopped at to rest telling them to go on without him before apparating back to Bloodstone to meet with Rhaenys.

"Have you heard?" She told him the moment he appeared. He looked up confused.

"Heard what?" He asked hoping the Iron Born had not attacked while he was away but it was nothing of the sort.

"Renly Baratheon has been assassinated by one of his own Kingsguard Brienne of Tarth." Rhaenys told him with worry. "All the armies of the Stormlands have gone to Stannis who intends to attack Kings Landing."

That was a worry Harry thought to himself, while Stannis taking the capital would tear the heart out of the Lannister war effort it meant the Red God would be enforced as the official religion festering in the heart of Kings Landing. Suddenly he was very glad that he had moved all the city's orphans out of harm's way or they would likely have been the first targets of their sacrificial burnings.

"Have the Lannisters any plans to repel the attack?" Harry asked, wondering if he could use this somehow. Rhaenys nodded having used his surveillance spells and some of their deeply embedded spies to keep an eye on events in the Red Keep and the city in general.

"Tyrion Lannister is apparently planning to use a wildfire filled ship to destroy his fleet, Zara still has some assets in Kings Landing who report to her." Rhaenys told him and Harry had a brief think before saying.

"Have Alys and her allies pull their forces back during the battle so Stannis cannot react, they represent half his army and none are particularly loyal to the Baratheons. If Stannis fails to take the city then most will jump ship and be severely depleted while Alys and her allies stay strong and can take the Stormlands by force. In the meantime though you and I must get the dragons ready, since we can't expect more men from anywhere we will have even the odds against us another way." Harry said while his wife just blinked and said.

"Do I get a say in this?" Her eyes arched which Harry knew as a sign of danger so he backtracked with a sigh.

"I'm sorry my love, it seems everything is moving so quickly we hardly have time to think." Harry said taking her hand and putting a kiss on it which she accepted after giving him a punch to the shoulder.

"You big idiot." She told him with a smile. "I would have done the same, besides its time that we gave Aeron and Daena some more experience riding their dragons."

Harry nodded glad not to have pissed off his wife, besides given the size of the job having five dragons would certainly be easier than doing it with three. Rhaenys looked at him with a sad smile.

"The children miss you." She said simply and he said with a sad smile of his own.

"I miss them too, if they are still awake I will go see them."

"They are, I just hope you wrap this little war of yours up before too long, if I have to spend another night reassuring them their father is coming home then next time I will fight the war and you can stay home with the children. Its certainly something that would get harder after the next one arrives." She said wearily but a smile started to form at the last few words, Harry himself was struck speechless at her telling him she was pregnant again. He embraced her and tears started to form in their eyes, happy cries of father broke them from this moment as their children came running around the corner and tried to hug him all at once. Harry bent down and held them all, cherishing the moment as soon all he would hear would be the screams of men as they died.

* * *

 _ **Beyond the Wall…**_

Jon Snow had expected so much more when he joined the Watch, it really was nothing more than a place for criminals to go and die slowly or quickly if the Wildlings got them first that he had been warned of he thought disappointed.

That was another revelation to him though he thought with great surprise, the Wildlings. From Old Nan's stories he had imagined a pack of ravenous monsters that murdered and stole from anyone who breathed. True some were he had learned like that but many like the beautiful red haired archer near him were just people trying to survive.

Jon had to stop himself from letting his thoughts dwell on the young woman who was with him, she roused feelings in him that he had never experienced before and ones that put him at odds with his duty to the Watch. A part of him wished dearly that he had met her before swearing to the Watch, that he had not made those vows at all but he struggled against it. His duty was to the Wall now, he could never have any kind of other life, however those thoughts depressed him.

For the moment as they had separated from the rest of his brothers as he chased her and he saw the still bound Ygritte sitting in the middle of a grove, looking absolutely terrified but not at him. He only realised why when he himself entered the grove, in-between the trees all around were snarling direwolves...at least twenty or more as far as he could count. Jon dearly wished for a moment that Ghost and the rest of his brothers were with him as he came up to Ygritte and was about to free her of her binding and draw his own sword. Fear struck him deep but he was not going to go down without a fight.

Then the largest wolf of all emerged from a narrow gap in the earth in the roots of the largest wierwood tree, that Jon realised must be their den. It was far larger than Ghost or even his wolf's mother had been and its fur was completely dark, it's fur was so black that it made his cloak looked white in comparison and its eyes were the same disturbing red as his own wolf's. Jon was struck dumb for a moment as it trotted up to him and Ygritte who scrambled away into his arms, he held her tight as they both prepared to die.

Then just as they closed their eyes and waited for death, a thump sounded and after a moment they realised the wolves had not sunk their teeth into them yet. Jon and Ygritte opened their eyes and saw the great wolf was staring at them intently and tapping its paw on something. They both looked at whatever it was tapping and saw a sword.

Ygritte being an archer did not know much about swords although it was she admitted the prettiest looking blade she had ever seen. Shorter than one of the overgrown broad swords she seen most use it was double edged and a ruby in the hilt. Nice she supposed but could honestly say much more about it.

Jon however was far better versed in swords, he saw immediately the ripples in the steel and the expert craftsmanship that could only come from one place, the magnificent wolf appeared to be getting impatient and with its paw it pushed the sword towards Jon who was astonished but slowly he reached for the blade and the moment he took it the wolves all ran away, south Jon noted towards the Wall and a thundering in the woods revealed more animals must surely be doing the same thing.

Jon was disturbed at that, why would so many animals especially the fierce and powerful direwolves be so desperate to go south? It troubled him so he looked back at the sword, it was beautiful he admitted and he was right it was was Valyrian steel. He honestly had no idea how such a sword came to be here but feeling its lighter than normal weight in his hands was strange like an echo that touched a part of him he had not known was there.

"What metal is that?" Ygritte asked interrupting his line of thought, looking at the sword having never seen such metal before, Jon told her while still looking at the sword.

"Valyrian steel, the strongest and best metal in the world. Made by the dragon lords hundreds of years ago it is so rare that most would sell their souls and all they own for a sword made of it."

"Well." Ygritte said with a cheeky grin. "The wolf gave you the sword so you'd best take it, I'm an archer not a swordswoman."

"I could teach you." Jon said, the words coming out before he could stop them. He honestly did not know why he had said it but Ygritte while taken aback for a moment only teased him.

"I' am sure you could show me 'your sword' anytime." Her grin and words were flirtatious and he could not stop his cheeks reddening. Neither he nor his would be lover noticed the raven watching them from the tree branches.

 **\- x -**

Brynden Rivers watched the pair through the raven's eyes and smiled, the future was shifting everyday and Jon Snow as he called himself would need a Valyrian steel weapon. The beasts had carried the sword to him since Brynden could not be sure as things were that the Mormont sword would be given and because he was the last Targaryen with any skill at swordplay it was only fitting that _Dark Sister_ should go to him.

His gaze then turned to the red haired archer at the boy's side, he had seen before that her fate was to die at the Wall but now it seemed to be changing. Brynden was confused and wondered if she might live beyond then or die before and what changes that could bring. Positive ones he hoped, that was why he was sending all the living beasts to an opening in the Wall he knew of.

The more he saved then the less beasts for the Night King to control Brynden thought, best get back to work though he thought, after all he still had a Stark boy to teach when he got here.

* * *

 _ **Feastfires, the Westerlands…**_

In preparation for another assault on the rich pickings of the Reach a large fleet of Iron Born and Pirate ships were moored off the coast of Feastfires, well over eight hundred ships that would join with Euron's own squadron once he arrived for an overwhelming assault that was sure to re-establish their superiority over the sea and coast. The men slept on their ships rather than camp on the shore or the buildings they raided, too much chance of the locals trying to slit their throats in their sleep.

They were relaxed, not in the least worried about an attack the sea was their protector and their lifeblood. It would protect them from all threats.

Or so they thought.

High above with the dark night acting as cover for their approach, five dragons flew as quietly as possible towards the moored fleet. The moon lit their way as they navigated to their target which finally was in sight.

Harry sat on Talos as he looked down at the enemy below, he led the formation as for the first time all five of their dragons would be used at once. His eyes focused on his targets and then urged Talos into a dive, the other four dragons followed in their wake.

The dragons roared as they began their dive, the Iron Born or Pirates on deck looking around for the source of the unexpected noise. The men below deck all woke at how loud it was but no one saw the dragons until the last moment.

Talos drew first blood...or first flame his great maw letting loose an inferno of flames so hot and large that they incinerated the first three ships they hit, men scorched to ashes before they had a chance to scream but the heat ignited fires on several nearby ships as the fire continued to engulf ship after ship in the loose formation they had moored in. Men on those ships had time to scream as they burned, some throwing themselves overboard in an attempt to stop the fire.

Skyborn and Aegeron who was carrying Rhaenys followed just behind, their blasts of flame nearly as powerful as Talos' own as they struck other areas of the stationary flotilla and behind them the slightly smaller and younger Meleys and Caelor carrying Aeron and Daena respectively let loose their own fire.

Great plumes of flames struck columns of ships in a single dive before they would climb and turn in for another run. Five or ten ships at a time were being destroyed or damaged so badly they would sink in short order, some tried to weigh anchor and set sail to escape the onslaught but there was no escape, they could not sail fast enough to escape the dragon's flames. Dozens of burned men swam as best they could for land but many despite being sailors could not swim and drowned long before reaching land where the few that did with their half naked and burned bodies would be easy prey for the locals, no weapons or armour the raiders stood little chance against their former victims who would soon take their revenge.

The dragons continued their attack until the last ship fell victim to the combined power of Talos and Aegeron, Harry and Rhaenys looked down at the wreckage of around eight hundred ships that covered the ocean below them and the bodies that floated on the surface. They both knew this time there was no real chance of covering the existence of the dragons up this time. Survivors from the fleet and the nearby local town were sure to have seen something and would spread word of what had happened here. There was no chance of these things being linked back to them but better to be safe than sorry, they left the scene of utter carnage and flew back home, careful to steer clear or settlements to make sure no one could plot their destination.

 **\- x -**

Harry and Rhaenys were right to suspect their actions would be noticed. Word of the destruction of nearly half of Euron's navy spread on the wings of ravens and word of mouth faster than they ever could have predicted.

 **In Kings Landing…**

"FIND THOSE DRAGONS! I WANT THEIR HEADS!" Joffrey screamed at Tyrion and the rest of the Small Council deciding for once to attend one of their meetings, who were all rather dismissive of the claims. They had heard the Targaryen girl over in Essos had three dragons but she was very far away and they were not convinced by those rumours either.

"I am sure your grace, but I think you are tired and need your sleep. Grandmaester, perhaps a draft to help him sleep?" Tyrion said, not as a suggestion but a command. Joffrey insisted he wasn't tired but he started to falter under his gaze and Pycelle who had been cowed into service by now did as he was bid, escorting the boy to his room with the Hound.

Tyrion was somewhat astonished at having managed that small miracle but his mind also dwelt on the dragons, his childhood fascination stirring, wishing he could have seen them for himself but also he was worried. Someone out there had the most dangerous weapons that Westeros and perhaps the entire world have ever known and they had no idea of just who it was. He cared little for the Greyjoys or even his own homeland but those dragons might well be turned on them next.

 **Dragonstone…**

Stannis was furious, even though he now had the army he needed to attack Kings Landing someone had dragons. A weapon he no way of countering and if they were on his side then why had they not come before him, so they were likely planning to attack him. He might have put off taking the throne but hopefully if he sat on the Iron Throne his enemy would come to him or emerge into the open. Davos had agreed with him that it was a good plan while Melisandre seemed disturbed that creatures that were the living embodiments of her lord's power were hidden from her sight, even after hours of staring into the flames she had no answers to give him. So he would have to try and draw them out on his own.

 **Harrenhal…**

Tywin was a practical man and did not for a second believe that the dragons were responsible for the destruction of the fleet off Feastfires, no one could have hidden them so well that they could have reached the size it was whispered they were without being noticed. More likely to his mind that in the midst of drunken revelry the Iron Born had started a fire and destroyed their own ships.

He convinced himself of that but he was so distracted by this and his war with Robb Stark that he failed to notice the small group of men that sneaked out of Harrenhal.

 **Oxcross…**

Robb Stark was shocked at the news of dragons somewhere in the south, like everyone else he had thought them extinct and was worried that they could be turned on his people even if for the moment they were directed at their seemingly mutual enemy the Iron Born.

He could not seek out the owners of the dragons since he did not know where they were but he would keep his eyes open, any sign of where they came from and hopefully he would not become the second King in the North to bend the knee because if they were turned on him he would probably have too.

 **The Sea…**

Euron was quiet, an unusual thing to see as he stared into his drink.

The Storm God mocked him with beasts that he had dreamt of controlling but did not have the means. He did not know how to stop it or take them for himself but one thing for sure, he would make them bleed for this insult to him.

 **\- x -**

Harry left Rhaenys to take the dragons back to Bloodstone while he used apparation to catch up with his men and rejoin his men at the front, the mood was celebratory Harry noted with a smile, glad his little sneak attack had raised morale. They would need it for what Harry had planned next, seeing Paxter Redwyne coming towards him he shook the respected Admiral's hand and said.

"It is good to have you here my lord, ready the ships, its time to send those rapist murdering thugs back where they belong."

Paxter was confused but soon smiled, this was going to be an interesting day for history.

* * *

 _ **The Sea near Fair Isle…**_

With the destruction of their squadrons anchored off Feastfires, the last ships of the Iron Fleet gathered near Fair Isle. Many had deserted when the dragons had been mentioned in whispers fearful of being attacked leaving Euron only six hundred ships remaining, a mix of warships and long boats whose crews were held rigid by their fear of their king who seemed to grow more unstable by the day.

Euron was now completely white haired and his face so lined you would think it was done on purpose, unnatural in a man of his age even one that sailed the seas all their lives. His moods were swinging constantly, never did any of them know just what they would be faced with each day. One time he would be laughing and joking with his men like they were all the greatest of friends and the next he would keelhaul a man for just not smiling in his presence.

Nevertheless fear of him held them tightly to his side, even when the eight hundred ships of the Reach and the Stepstones approached they formed up for battle rather than run.

Catapults fired first, being a completely clear day there was nothing to obscure their aim, the now experienced men of Harry's fleet getting the range and the bearing before their counterparts did hitting them hard with barrels of oil set ablaze, rocks or whatever else they were using to bombard the Iron Born ships which hit back as soon as they were in range.

As the range closed, the harpax was deployed stabbing into ships so they could be boarded or set aflame, those ships that had no harpax used either rams or short range catapults to engage.

A small squadron of ships belonging to House Drumm on the outer edges of the Iron Born fleet made a run towards the _Silence_ , Lord Drumm imagining that if he could kill the enemy commander and seize his ship then he could turn the battle around and gain the favour of his king. The chance of great riches and more Valyrian steel too much to resist as they took dead aim on the _Silence_.

Lord Drumm was salivating as his ships drew closer to their target, so focused on it that when his ship was struck by a sudden impact, he was thrown to the deck. All his crew and those of the six or seven ships with him looked around to see where the sudden fire was coming from and from the direction of Fair Isle approaching them catapults firing was a motley collection of ships baring the boar of House Crakehall, the orange and black sunbursts of House Kenning and the three white ships of House Farman on their sails.

At the helm of an old and patched up warship was Ser Lyle Crakehall, also known as the Strongboar. His gaze narrowed as he saw the fuckers that had threatened his home and raped then killed his mother, he and those of the houses that stood with him could no longer stand by and allow them to rape and reave their homes and had returned home to protect it. That they happened to have engaged the Iron Fleet at the same time as the Reach had was a point in his favour he mused.

He saw the flagship of House Drumm closer and yelled out to the oarsmen.

"RAMMING SPEED!" The most effective weapon his ship was the vicious looking ram on the front and his ship had a straight path to Lord Drumm's ship. The oarsmen worked till their muscles ached and their hands were bleeding to get up the necessary speed to send the vicious ram into the wooden hull of Lord Drumm's ship.

 **\- x -**

Euron watched from his ship as confusion took hold, his ships were losing cohesion and the unexpected attack from Fair Isle had some of them running. That would not do he thought and summoned his gauntlet's power again, massing a hard wave to blast the Westerland ships smirking as it was ready to be unleashed when suddenly a sharp pain in his arm broke his concentration, the wave was released but in the wrong direction.

It slammed into a squadron of ships belonging to House Blacktyde, forcing many to capsize or be damaged and pushed back. Euron was able to see the results of his actions for a split second before his vision blackened and he lost consciousness, his men all too confused and afraid to know just what to do without their commander and one by one they turned for home, hoping they would be safe there.

 **\- x -**

Harry stood on the wheel of the _Silence_ , his satisfaction high as the remaining Iron Born withdrew from the battle especially after they had devastated two thirds of their fleet. Their losses had been light, only ten ships as still the Iron Born had no way to counter the harpax and being pirates and raiders their co-ordination had been weak. He on the other hand had the well drilled Redwyne Navy and his own fleet behind him.

Still a frown came to his face as he remembered the way the wave had hit the Iron Born instead of the Westerlands ships that had shown up, either Euron was losing control of the gauntlet or his madness had become so great that he no longer cared who he hurt. Either was not good for the people of this world and it hardened his resolve to end Euron once and for all.

"My lord, the other ships approach under a flag of truce." Kanoro said drawing his attention to their unexpected allies, Harry looked over and realised that of their motley collection of ships only three Westerland Houses were represented here and not a single Lannister flag was amongst them. The lead ship, a rather battered looking war galley flying the flag of House Crakehall drew alongside the _Silence_ and a plank was lowered.

Accompanied by some guards was a very broad man in his early thirties, his height was as great as the muscles that would be a rival for even a professional body builder, especially with the ease he carried both a large battle axe in one hand and the Great sword _Red Rain_ (which Harry assumed he had taken from Lord Drumm) in the other. His hair was dark and a bushy beard which revealed a smile.

"LORD TYRELL!" The man said in a loud, booming voice that made many jump. "I Ser Lyle Crakehall am most grateful for your attempts to free our coast of the Iron Born and it is a pleasure to meet a man of action." Ser Lyle said with a big beaming smile. Harry felt it was genuine and shook the man's hand, nearly wincing at the strength of his grip.

"Ser Crakehall, you are most welcome. I take it from the fact that there are only three of your homeland's houses that Lord Tywin has not authorised this." Harry asked and Ser Lyle's face went from smiling to furious in the blink of an eye.

"No that fucker left our entire coast to suffer so he can have his arse kicked by Robb Stark instead, my mother was raped and murdered by them. Lord Farman lost two daughters who were taken as saltwives. Lord Terrence's wife was taken too. All this happened because Tywin would not let us go and protect our homes, if saving them means our deaths then so be it." Lyle said with great bitterness.

Harry and Kanoro shared a look, they could understand a man being that desperate and they could only hoped that it did not cause them to regret their actions later. Tywin would not forget a slight and openly disobeying his orders would surely land them all in hot water. For being willing to take that step Harry honestly admired them, to care more about their homes and families than crossing the Old Lion and risking the same kind of treatment the Reynes and Tarbecks had received.

Harry gave a nod of understanding before saying to him.

"Then I hope you will join us as we sail to the Iron Islands and get them back. The Iron Born have plagued our coast for too long and it is time we ended that threat once and for all. Whose with me?" Harry asked and his men cheered including the Westerlanders which made him smile.

It was time to end this war and deal with a menace kings and lords had ignored for centuries.

* * *

 _Thanks again for the support guys, I couldn't have gotten this done without it._

 _ **Next Chapter –**_ _The Battle of Blackwater Bay and the Invasion of the Iron Islands begins._


	23. Chapter 23 Shifting Alliances

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _First off thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter, some of you like Coldfire2015 and Zenry amongst others gave really interesting suggestions and ideas._

 _Although I am following the TV series more than the books I am replacing Talisa with Jeyne Westerling, just saying. Also since Robb did not need the Freys bridge he was never engaged to Roslin._

 _On with the show._

 **Chapter 23 – Shifting Alliances**

 _ **The Crag, the Westerlands…**_

The sounds of battle echoed across the area as Reach soldiers now accompanied by the few Westerlands soldiers that had returned home clashed with the Iron Born.

Harry was in the thick of the action alongside his men as usual, _Orphanmaker_ and _Blackfyre_ slashing away at Iron Born and cutting them down like wheat. His green cloak was stained with mud and blood but it still allowed him to be seen by his men who were in awe of their commander's abilities, inspiring them and proving his strength to them.

Harry himself meanwhile was starting to get tired of these quick coastal landings, despite most of the Iron Born retreating back to their islands some had stayed behind to try and hide or act like Robber Barons and bandits. That meant much to his own frustration he had to deal with them as the Westerlands houses did not have the men to fight them with the majority of their soldiers in the Riverlands, he certainly did not want to leave a potential hostile force at his back as he pushed forward so he had to deal with them now.

Some would surrender at the sight of them and he would then judge them by what they had done to the locals. Often men who killed were likewise executed, rapists would be gelded and sent to the Wall or killed if they had done it enough and thieves were sent to the Wall. A difficult journey but many raiders were cowards when faced with a fight they could not win and would do anything to avoid death.

But Harry thought gratefully, this was the last stop before the Iron Islands themselves as Robb Stark had cleared them out of the Riverlands and the North except for Moat Cailin and he decided to do the man a favour as it had saved him a lot of time.

 **-x-**

Returning to the ship a couple of hours later, Harry and his men wanted a quick rest before they set sail. This had been one of many small battles that they had fought this last week and they were starting to get tired so a few days rest before they set out would be just what they needed, unfortunately the lookout spoiled that the moment he set a boot aboard the _Silence_.

"A single Iron Born ship approaching under a flag of truce my lord." The man in the crow's nest shouted down and Harry had to mentally count down from fifty to stop himself from being outwardly angry and instead said to his men.

"Men be ready for battle, but hold fire till we know for certain." He ordered and all them tensed up as most of them expected a trap but the weather was clear and only the one ship was in sight, so Harry hoping that maybe something good might come of this so he honoured the flag of truce and allowed the ship to approach. It was a war galley but with the white scythe on their black sails, the sigil of House Harlaw one of the most powerful Iron Lords.

The ship however did not attack and drew alongside the _Silence_ , Harry and Kanoro who had just come aboard stood shoulder to shoulder while behind them the Reach and Westerlands lords looked on with suspicion. A plank was lowered and first across was a lord dressed in good leather and myrish glasses on a chain, he was quite average looking with brown hair and a grey beard which was kept short and neat. Following him was another lord who was younger and was in the eyes of a few handsome, his features smooth and his dark hair cut elegantly. More curiously though he had a sable cloak held in place with a seven pointed star pin.

Lords Rodrik Harlaw and Baelor Blacktyde Harry thought with amusement, this now made a lot more sense to him. Rodrik was from all reports an avid reader and enjoyed gathering knowledge of all kinds, Baelor on the other hand had been raised in the Reach after the last war with the Iron Islands and embraced the Seven as his gods. Both of them broke with the tradition of what an Iron Born should be so them approaching him now made more sense.

"Lord Tyrell." Rodrik said with nervousness that only made those behind Harry smirk. "Thank you for giving us an audience, I hope we can come to an understanding that will ensure the survival of House Harlaw and House Blacktyde."

The fact that he had only come to speak for their own houses was telling, many behind him would see it as cowardice while Harry saw it as them being practical, after all there was no honour amongst thieves.

"Even if I were willing to consider this, what would you offer in return which we could not just take by force?" Harry asked with his arms folded. Rodrik and Baelor looked worried as they knew they had little to offer but their one important card.

"We have managed to rescue all the thralls, salt wives and hostages taken by the rest of the houses and will gladly free them into your custody, all we ask is you spare our houses. I know what is coming and all we want is the safety of our families." Rodrik said, looking imploring at him.

That did make Harry think more on their proposal, with no hostages to think of their conquest of the Iron Islands would be far easier and securing their welfare would be a major boon to not only his own conscience but those places they came from. So Harry gave them a glare that instantly made the two Iron Lords take a step back as he laid down the ground rules.

"Your houses will rule over the islands since history has taught they cannot be controlled by an outsider, Lelia Lannister and Aubrey Crakehall were proof of that and I doubt any one of my own men would want to rule over such devastated lands after we are done with them. Understand my lords I intend to burn the heart out of the Old Way, there will be no drowned god after I am done and if I hear of any attempt to bring that back or any kind of raiding at all...well I think you can guess what will happen to you." Harry told them with a voice that was as cold and stern as you could imagine, only Tywin Lannister himself could have matched it.

The Reach lords and the Westerlands soldiers all might have objected if they wanted anything to do with the Iron Islands but they agreed with him, besides what they were about to do would sow a lot of hate that would undermine any of them should they try to rule the islands after they were done, not to mention for the Westerland men it was a chance to get back those they loved and take revenge without having to worry about consequences.

Harry meanwhile returned to his cabin after a shaky nod from Rodrik and Baelor before giving the order for them to set sail, Kanoro followed him and looked at him with worry.

"Do we really have to do this?" He asked, not liking to commit the sort of violence that they were shortly about too. Harry like him hated violence and killing but nodded.

"Their culture prizes murder, theft and rape. They have had several chances to change over the centuries and have always reverted to this, they steal because they are too lazy or too stupid to try and do things for themselves and glorify it in the process. The only way to stop it is to burn the heart out of their culture, all Drowned Priests must die, those that shield them must die, their shrines must be burnt to ashes and the noble houses that support them rendered extinct. The only reason I am sparing the Harlaws and the Blacktydes is they already buck from tradition and we need someone from there to keep the islands in order once we are gone. I wasn't kidding earlier, the history of anyone from the outside trying to rule there is short and bloody so I have to make sure they remember the consequences of doing this again. Horrible but necessary, not to mention this way at least we get the poor souls that have suffered under them to safety before we land, I am more interested in that then killing Iron Born." Harry told him with a sad look, they might deserve it but it didn't mean he had to like mass slaughter.

Kanoro nodded, glad at least that last part at least.

Harry meanwhile sought out Gunthor and gave him a different set of orders, it was time he did the Stark boy a favour.

* * *

 _ **The Red Keep, Kings Landing…**_

Varys despite his success at gaining the friendship of Lord Tyrion Lannister which would be a great boon to his later plans was deeply uneasy.

The reason was he had lost control of the situation.

While you could never be fully in control of anything in the great game as well he knew, for example he had never intended for Lord Stark to die as he was a known quantity amongst other things but events happened outside of your control that you just had to adapt too. But now the dragons of Rhaenys Targaryen were being used as her ancestors had to destroy the Iron Fleet and he was worried this was only the first step in an attempt to take the throne. Her husband's campaign against the Iron Born had led to him to gain a great deal of respect amongst coastal houses especially in the Reach and if the frequent visits of Oberyn Martell were any indication, the Dornish would stand with them. Adding to his worries was that although Loras Tyrell might be the official heir to Highgarden, Harry Tyrell was the next in line and all the strength of its rich and fertile lands would be his.

He could not even kill the girl now as she was far too well protected.

He had planned the restoration of the Targaryens as best he could but now he had no idea of just what to do. At the moment his priority though was the defence of Kings Landing from Stannis Baratheon as the worst thing that could happen in his mind was that woman's magic and evil corrupting the continent, Lord Tyrion had done an excellent job in preparing for the battle and Stannis would be lucky to even make it to the walls especially as Harry Tyrell had made his own unwitting contribution to their cause and a number of the Stormlords stood ready to desert Stannis mid battle.

He sighed only wishing he had never saved Rhaenys Targaryen at all, his life would be far easier without her to mess it up.

 **-x-**

Sansa honestly was not sure what was happening to her.

After she had stood up to Joffrey and his mother and been taken back to her rooms she had sat down and shaken, not sure of what she had been thinking at first but as time went on and everything had sunken in she began to feel strangely...liberated which honestly made her laugh as it was a weird word to use given her situation.

If you were not afraid to die, or were able to get past your fear of it then really what was holding you back? Sansa thought to herself. She was not going to be foolhardy she swore to herself, being blind to danger had cost her too much already, grief stabbing at her heart when she thought of her family and all they had lost. But she would not let her fear of those in power scare her any more she resolved, looking her reflection in the mirror straight in the eye and swearing it to herself.

Another thing that had come with her new mindset was she could see more clearly around her, what was going on and how things worked here. It had amazed her how little power Joffrey actually had though, she had always been told that the king was all powerful and could do as he liked and after seeing King Robert and the bastard Joffrey she had thought that assumption confirmed but it wasn't true. It astonished her but all his supposed power came from those around him, largely his whore of a mother, the thought of Cersei as a whore actually brought a small smile to her face. The web of corruption that she had weaved around everyone and everything, all the puppets she had.

Likewise her brother Lord Tyrion had a power-base of his own that worked on similar principles, they actually competed which Sansa before had found strange but now she was truly aware of the hatred between the Dowager Queen and her Imp brother it made sense. Cersei was a power hungry bitch that hated any threat to her power and Tyrion was tearing it all down in an effort to keep Joffrey on the throne and everything running while Sansa had watched and learned as he did it.

Power and influence came not from a bloodline, it came from your ability to deal with and manipulate people. How you played to their ego and needs, the strength of your personality, what you could offer or hold over them, how much they loved you or were scared of you and the ability to recognise who your enemies were and how best to deal with them. She had seen how Lord Tyrion outmanoeuvred his sister and hold power over the court, a new admiration was forming at how well he did it and recently she had started to learn to play cyvasse as she tried to learn how to think strategically.

She had made several visits to the Red Keep's library to find any books she might take inspiration from and on her last trip she had discovered a hidden treasure. A raven had been flying around the library and she was about to try and make it leave when it had landed on an old table and tapped its beak hard on an old desk. She had been mystified about what in the world the bird was doing until she heard a click and saw a small compartment open, immediately intrigued she went over and looked inside and found a very old book preserved inside. The golden writing on the cover was elegant and ornate and while slightly faded the name stood out to Sansa.

 _Visenya Targaryen._

Excitement filled Sansa as she opened the book and saw the elegant script inside, the mentions of Aegon, Rhaenys and the dragons Vhagar, Balerion and Meraxes confirmed her theory that this was the journal of Queen Visenya Targaryen, one of the two queens that had helped Aegon build his kingdom and conquer nearly all of Westeros. A queen as much feared as loved who had been beautiful, smart and tough, exactly what Sansa wanted to be now...desperately.

Hearing the guards who kept watch on her coming Sansa hid the book in a pile of other books on history that she had been reading and carried it back to her room where she could read it more privately, as much as some people criticised Visenya she was quickly becoming an idol to Sansa as she read more of history, most of the work of ruling Westeros had been left to Visenya by Aegon and she had remained a powerful figure all through her life.

There was much she could learn from her Sansa realised.

She did not notice the raven watching her closely before it flew off.

* * *

 _ **Bloodstone, the Stepstones…**_

While Sansa began to learn the teachings of Visenya Targaryen, Arya was reading about another Targaryen queen...specifically Alysanne Targaryen the wife of Jaehaerys the Conciliator.

The journal was a revelation in itself, Arya was astonished at how many rivals to her husband and plots against him that Alysanne had dealt with that had not been recorded by history. All the people who she had crushed that no one ever knew about to protect her husband's rule, even he apparently had never known about some of them.

There was an old northern saying that behind every strong and great king there was an even stronger and greater queen, Arya could not help but feel that was particularly true with Alysanne. On the outside and in public she had been a very gracious, clever and charming but on the inside despite her small and slender frame she had been a genius at manipulation and court politics. Many of Jaehaerys' actions were encouraged by her council, not that had he had been her puppet and instead more an equal partner the Wolf girl thought to herself. Alysanne was no meek and biddable queen Arya realised the more she read and now saw why Lady Rhaenys and Lady Zara had wanted her to read this.

This was how women became great, her wits and cunning were her greatest weapons. She learnt a lot of the great game as it was known and also learned more of the greatest period in their country's history and kept on going, no longer complaining about reading as she discovered more about women who were her idols.

But her mind started to drift towards the letter she had received from her mother, Arya was surprised to read how much she was missing her and Sansa and how proud she was her for being so strong. Arya was conflicted for a moment as she thought on that, her mother had always shown she loved her and never had she been in doubt of that but her mother had always compared her unfavourably to Sansa and here she was telling her that she was proud of her and to stay true to herself. That was a turnaround Arya thought with a slightly bitter tone although she kicked herself for doing so, she at least could communicate with her mother while Sansa remained as a prisoner.

So she returned to her studies.

 **-x-**

Rhaenys meanwhile was looking with Zara as they watched their children play, her stomach had started to swell with pregnancy and her emotions were more raw so she could not contain the slight tears as she watched them play both with their half sisters (via Zara), Noelle Baelarys and their surrogate cousin Randyll Hightower.

Talla Tarly sat with them, slipping on water while fanning herself as she tried to get used to the heat of the Stepstones.

"Ho do you cope with this heat?" Talla finally asked as she could not contain her struggle any more. Both Rhaenys and Zara could not help but laugh before looking at the indignant Talla and told her.

"You get used to it, besides it will be far easier to cope here when winter comes." Rhaenys said with a smile, refilling the poor girl's water jug with hers. Talla had been sworn to the same secrecy as everyone else due to the magic shown occasionally by the children and had taken it surprisingly well not being judgemental and trusting her husband's friends, still Rhaenys was sure she would be quite grateful to return to the Reach once the war was over and to get away from the heat of the tropical Stepstones.

She meanwhile was grateful that Zara was here to take over of some of the running of the islands with Jothos and Aeron so she could spent more time taking care of herself and her children, after all she thought with exasperation she had another one at least on the way and it would have ruined her figure if not for the potions she had access too and regular diet and exercise. Watching Arya Stark was hard work enough but without anything else on top of that.

* * *

 _ **Blackwater Bay, not far from Kings Landing…**_

 _ **Fury…**_

Stannis was his usual stoic self as he stood on the deck of his flagship, deep down there was a sense of pride and accomplishment that he quashed never allowing himself any feeling that could get in the way of doing his duty and claiming the throne was rightfully his. He had not allowed any guilt over having Renly killed to interfere and he had no intention of letting his pride get in the way now.

One of his soldiers however drew his attention.

"Your grace, the ships!"

"What is it?" Stannis snapped, not wanting to be distracted when a battle was about to start, but there was good reason for it he realised as he turned around.

All the ships of House Velaryon and a number of others containing soldiers from Houses Swann, Connington, Mertyn, Tarth, Caron and Selmy had turned around and were now heading back towards home. Stannis was momentarily stunned as nearly half of his army deserted for apparently no reason but a scowl appeared on his face. The nervous soldiers around him asked.

"Orders your grace?"

Stannis' face froze again into an uncaring mask as he said sternly.

"We carry on." He would punish the traitors soon enough he thought, he still had enough men to take Kings Landing and he knew this was the best chance he would ever get to take his throne so he turned his gaze back towards the city in the distance, noticing the single ship that was sailing out to meet them.

He could not have realised how badly things were about to go against him thanks to a certain dwarf and the roses he hated so much. And when he retreated to Dragonstone he would discover the castles of his Stormland vassals were being taken by the armies of those that had deserted, leaving him with few men and few ships left.

* * *

 _ **Pyke, The Iron Islands…**_

It began just before dawn.

They all had known it was coming after the defeat off Fair Isle but they had never imagined that it might happen like this, last time they had been defeated in the previous rebellion it had taken all of Westeros and at least a year for them to be threatened like this. Now the Reach was coming for them and in a fraction of that time, things had never seemed so bleak even in the last rebellion.

Harry and his forces however did not just try to land, instead the first ships in were old cargo ships that had been stuffed with bays of hay and other material which would have been threat to no-one.

Until the Reach soldiers set them on fire.

The fire ships on rigged sails and wheels entered the harbours and ploughed into the Iron Born ships, setting them alight and would sink at their moorings. Catapults on the decks of the Reach ships hit the limited defences like towers so they could come up along the empty docks and drop their ramps so the Reach soldiers could disembark.

Harry and Kanoro were two of the first ones off the ships, leading their men up the dock and into the town. In their path hordes of Iron Born raiders and locals who were ready to fight the invaders, archers and crossbow men scattered them quickly before Harry and his men moved forward.

The slaughter was up close and personal as Harry and his men went from building to building and clearing it out before moving on to the next, Harry saw a pair of women charging at him with rough clubs, he threw two knives from his belt at their throats and left them to die before engaging in a fight with a hammer wielding blacksmith.

Harry sidestepped around the man's heavy swings before impaling him through the throat with _Blackfyre_. Three more men, one of them a Drowned Priest charged at him and without a thought Harry parried their clumsy strikes and impaled one through the stomach before slashing at the throat of the next and finished the third with a bash on the head of his sword's pommel.

He then exited the building now it was cleared and the scene outside was...disturbing.

Men and women were being butchered left right and centre, Drowned Priests hid behind other men and women some using them as human shields to try to save their own lives at the expense of others Harry knowing that he had ordered this was disgusted at himself, this was one of the hardest decisions he had ever made but he had to do it. One way or another to stop the raping and reaving, this culture had to change and he was going to deliver that in the only way he could...by killing those that kept it alive and any who believed in them enough to shield them.

With some of his men Harry left the town and walked up the hill with a group of men towards the castle, he had unfinished business with the man that had started this.

 **-x-**

He reached the castle gates to find they were still open and he and his men walked straight in, Iron Born charged them in limited numbers hoping to overwhelm them by sticking together and attack in a confined space. Harry and his men did not even bat an eye and went on the offensive, Harry cutting men down left right and centre with cleaves and slashes, balanced out with thrusts like a fencer. More of Harry's men started pouring in behind them and soon the Iron Born were outnumbered over three to one and climbing.

Harry was sweating profusely inside his armour from all the fighting but he forced his way through and started searching through the castle for his target, all around he heard the sounds of battle but he tuned them out, he had someone more important to deal with.

He found him in the throne room, looking at least partly ancient in how lined his face was or how white his hair was, having never seen him up close since the start of the war Harry was shocked at the changes to Euron since they had last met. Still he saw big muscles under his armour with the Valyrian steel axe in his hands so Harry with swords in hand stepped forward, cautious of some kind of trap.

"So here we are at last, the Storm God and the Drowned God having their final battle. This has been a long time coming." Euron said with the madness burning in his eyes, Harry was taken aback by being called the Storm God, the literal devil in Iron Born culture. Had Euron's madness grown so great that he actually believed himself to be the Drowned God Harry wondered in alarm and a quick look at the man confirmed it, so he had been given the role of Storm God for leading the war against him. Harry did not know whether to be flattered or angry so he settled on focusing on the task at hand.

"This ends Euron." Harry said with the blood stained swords in his hands, he did not want to waste time bantering with him, he just wanted to end this.

"Agreed!" Euron said with an eager glee and with a speed that should have been impossible he launched himself off and attacked with his axe, Harry stepped back and parried the strike before trying to slash at Euron's arms but that was swiftly countered.

Insane Euron might be Harry thought, but that didn't mean he wasn't a tremendous fighter.

The pace of the fight accelerated the longer it went on, though he had a single axe Euron was able to counter nearly any attack Harry could launch. The steel became a silver blur as they moved through the air and clanged loudly when they met.

Harry gritted his teeth, Euron had clearly been practising since they last met as he was more fluid in his movements but then again Harry thought with determination so had he, he was not going to lose this fight.

Euron tried a sideways strike but Harry stepped around it and struck back with a glancing blow to the man's arm but it did little to stop Euron who made him pay for it with a blow from the handle of his axe. Harry's muscles ached with the fast pace of combat but he was not so tired that he could not fight, tensing as he matched Euron's strikes blow for blow.

He managed to leave many minor cuts but could not find a killing blow as their fight moved from the throne room and out into the corridors of the castle, Harry and Euron kept switching from offensive to defensive as each of them tried to gain the upper hand ending up on one of the bridges that joined the various towers of Pyke.

The unsteady ground instantly put Harry on the defensive as Euron uncaring of where they were attacked like a skilled beast, Harry struggled to get steady footing on the moving and slippery planks while Euron didn't care. Then a manic grin came on Euron's face which made Harry wonder what he had thought of…

Then the water hit him.

The wave had been small and no enough to knock him off his feet or the bridge but it shocked him enough for Euron to attack with a hard cleave that he barely managed to block but in the process he lost his hold on _Orphanmaker_ which fell into the stormy waters below. Harry was not concerned about that though as he gripped _Blackfyre_ tighter and diverted the next wave Euron was summoning.

It quickly became apparent to Harry as he fought with Euron now only with one sword he had become too dependant on his second blade but thankfully fighting with a shield in recent battles had gotten him used to having only one sword and he coped but having to divert water and fight at the same time was a real struggle for him and he honestly had never felt so close to death and he narrowly avoided strikes by Euron that would have killed him if he managed to land a hit.

As another wave hit him Harry knew he was in trouble and he needed to act fast or Euron would eventually kill him, the water was making it hard for him to move beyond the bridge to solid ground especially with Euron attacking him all the time.

If he didn't think of something soon he would soon be dead.

The thought of dying at the hands of this mad pirate and leaving Rhaenys and all his children alone awoke a fury in Harry that stiffened his spine and harden his resolve, he was not going to die here and with a pop he vanished.

Euron was confused for a moment at where his opponent was until he heard another pop sounded behind him and cold steel was thrust through his throat and out the other side before he could turn around.

Harry panted as he held his sword in Euron's throat, he was lucky Euron's ego and madness had slowed his reactions but despite that his own idiocy at fighting fair had not helped. He was just glad that no one had been here to see him using magic. He pulled his sword free of Euron's throat and watched with his adrenaline so high that he could barely think as the corpse fell forward onto the bridge.

He just stood there for a moment staring at his enemy's body as he calmed down, wiping _Blackfyre_ clean of blood on Euron's cloak and sheathing it before magically summoning _Orphanmaker_ back from the sea below and sheathing it too. He picked up the Valyrian steel battleaxe Euron had apparently called _Reaver_ and levitated the man's corpse into the tower where he laid it down and with a hard swing took off the man's head and pulled the water manipulation gauntlet off his wrist and slipped it into his bottomless pouch.

 **-x-**

Harry was full of fury as he carried the head down the corridor with _Reaver_ strapped to his back, coming to the courtyard where any prisoners they had bothered to take were being corralled. Kanoro looked at him with worry but a swift nod assured him he was okay until they could talk later, the other Reach nobles that had joined them in battle all looked to him expectantly as did the cowed Iron Born prisoners so Harry held up Euron's head for all to see. The Reach & Westerlands soldiers and Harry's own cheered wildly at sight of the most hated enemy dead while the Iron Born were astonished and broken at the sight of their king's severed head, Harry nodded a grim smile coming upon his face and he waited for the cheering to stop before looking at the hundred odd prisoners below him.

"I have little to say to thieves, murderers and rapists so my words will be short and blunt. The Wall or death, it is up to you. As for my friends and allies that had been my brothers in arms during this war, I will only say 'VICTORY!'" Harry called out and his men echoed those words. They would have a feast here tonight Harry thought as soon they would have to go to secure the other islands but tonight he would give them a celebration to honour their hard won achievement.

 **-x-**

Kanoro would later find him in the solar of the castle where he was reading up on several messages that had just arrived, he was worried at the angry expression on his face especially as they had now cause to celebrate.

"What has happened?" Kanoro asked as Harry turned to look at him and threw a piece of parchment into the fire in frustration.

"My idiot relatives have done it again!" Harry said with anger but kept enough control not to shout. "They have allied themselves with the Lannisters and worse betrothed Margaery to Joffrey, I honestly thought my grandmother was smart enough not to do this but apparently she might be loosing her wits as she ties my sister to that vicious bastard and now supports his rule. They have even taken the liberty so swearing my fealty to him as well. All for a few scraps of power." Harry said and sat back in his borrowed chair with an exasperated sigh and massaged his temples as he tried to control his temper, what the hell had they been thinking?

Kanoro was similarly angered at the news, not least because he thought Joffrey the sort of creature that should have been put down years ago, he gave a sympathetic look to his lord and friend and asked.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet but if they have an alliance with the Lannisters now I can use that to gain access publicly to the capital and from there hopefully find a way to break the alliance up, not least so my sister is not tied to Joffrey. Also it gives me an opportunity to rescue Sansa Stark." Harry said trying to find good the situation, his expression turning calculating for a moment before he remembered something else. "And then there's this." He said putting the gauntlet on the table, Kanoro looked at its suspiciously and asked.

"You're not going to use it are you?"

Harry shook his head. "The thought had crossed my mind." He admitted before carrying on. "But this it seems demands a price from its wielder and I have no intention of ending up like Euron, I suspect it did that to him because he was no natural magic wielder but I will not take that chance. There are several Valyrian vaults in the Stepstones, extremely secure so I will place it in one and then seal it off to be safe." Harry told him and Kanoro was extremely relieved. "I will take the axe, Euron's armour, the Driftwood Crown and the Seastone Chair too so no one else can use them to declare a king here in the Iron Islands again, it follows a tradition of taking trophies to show off your accomplishments in your home." Harry said not caring in the least about showing off but it was a symbol of what he had achieved and most other boons would be going to others.

The vast treasury which contained treasures from not only the coastal settlements the Iron Born had raided but from Euron's many years raiding the seas of the world with his fleet was going to be split amongst the other lords, Harry did not need the wealth as his own treasury was full of gold and his secret vaults were now refilled and it would be needed by the lords especially those of the Westerlands to rebuild. The remaining Iron Born ships would be divided between them too with Harry taking a few for his own fleet, leaving some boats for the Iron Islands to use for fishing so they could feed themselves during winter.

Still he first had to secure all the islands which was going to take a couple of weeks at least, not to mention hunt down all the Priests of the Drowned God and then there was the matter of the Salt wives and other prisoners Harlaw and Blacktyde had given to them, Harry cringed at the state of some of them, how hurt or damaged mentally and in some cases physically they were. Those with homes to go back to had already been sent home where he hoped they might recover but those that had nowhere else to go posed a problem for him, he did want to help them though so he had arranged for them to be sent to a farm he had established on Grey Gallows, one of his islands. Healers would help them through the physical injuries that they sustained while keeping a patient ear open to ease the mental trauma.

A building with airy and comfortable conditions had been established, simple and easy farm work to keep them occupied, potions to ease depression and anxiety, areas where they could exercise and a garden to relax in. He wanted to give them a home that could provide them peace and keep them busy at the same time while they learned to cope with their pain, they did not deserve to be punished for what had been done to them and be discarded Harry thought with sadness at all those that were treated like that.

Perhaps it was his own naïvety at work but how could a victim of rape have brought it on themselves? He had seen it with his own two eyes far to often in the world, victims sneered and at and spat on saying they had led the man to do it, how pathetic Harry thought the man often escaped with little punishment so he had in his own domain established very harsh penalties for such crimes and enforced them ruthlessly. Hardly surprisingly it had led to little of such crime in his islands and while it did still happen from time to time it was very rare.

Harry turned his attention away from those thoughts however as he had a lot to do, another message this one from Lord Boros Wallain informed him that apparently Edmure Tully had been persuaded by Lord Frey to marry his daughter Roslin and the wedding was to be in a couple of weeks. Harry smiled, it was a perfect opportunity to meet with Robb Stark now Harry had more time with Euron defeated and Robb Stark was not moving around so much.

He then looked at the message from Gunthor which brought a smile to his face, taking a quill he had a letter to write to Robb Stark.

* * *

 _ **Riverrun, the Riverlands…**_

Catelyn was so glad to be home, even under these circumstances.

The castle she had grown up in was just as welcoming as she remembered it even if her father was gone and they were at war, her uncle Brynden and Lord Wallain greeted her at the gates. She smiled at the sight of them and they smiled at her.

"Welcome back Catelyn, when we heard about Renly we feared for your safety." Her uncle said and his concern made her feel a lot better.

"I am fine uncle, I only wish I had managed to negotiate some more support for us." She said, her eyes moving to her silent shadow Brienne of Tarth formerly of Renly's Kingsguard. After what they had seen in that tent...the 'thing' that had killed Renly with Stannis' face the woman was now her sworn shield as she tried to come to terms with Renly's death, Brynden and Wallain gave her a look over and were curious about Brienne, accepting her on Catelyn's judgement. "Is Robb here?"

They both nodded and without another word Catelyn walked through the castle gates, she walked through the familiar passages until she found her son, her brother Edmure, Lord Karstark and a woman she did not recognise all standing around a table. The way Robb and the girl were standing so close immediately made her suspicious that he had taken a mistress which instantly worried her, only for her fears to be slightly put at ease when Robb noticed her and spoke.

"Mother, welcome home I would like to introduce you to Jeyne Westerling, my wife."

While she was glad her son had actually married the woman he was sleeping with so any child produced would not be a bastard, she was deeply concerned her son had taken a wife from such a small house as Westerling. They had a long history but not much else to their name and it would have been at least in her mind better to have found a queen that could have given a more advantageous match, perhaps from the Vale where support might be found.

"Delighted." Catelyn said with a smile plastered on her face, looking at the girl her opinion improved slightly. She was beautiful with lustrous chestnut curls and an enticing figure but her eyes were not greedy or calculating, instead they were deeply compassionate and in fact looked slightly scared to be facing her goodmother for the first time, giving her a curtsy. "Has much happened since I left?" Catelyn asked trying to get to the point, Robb nodded with a more relaxed smile than he had before making Catelyn aware of her new gooddaughter must be helping Robb.

"I was just arranging for us to trade either Ser Addam Marbrand or Kevan Lannister for Lord Karstark's son Torrhen who was captured near Harrenhal. Apart from Lord Edmure's upcoming wedding the only other thing of note is Jaime Lannister has made himself useful by teaching some of our squires swordsmanship." Robb said which instantly made her and Brienne worried.

"Is that wise? He is supposed to be a prisoner?" Catelyn asked hoping this was not part of some escape plan that would make her son look very foolish if it succeeded or not. Robb just gave her an annoyed look.

"I am not so foolish as to just accept his word mother. Archers watch his every move, if he tried to run then he would be riddled with arrow fire. Besides he has been a perfect prisoner, causing no trouble whatsoever." Robb said.

Catelyn still did not like it but had more important things on her mind. "Robb, I need to speak to you alone." She said and while he did not like it Robb nodded and said.

"Very well, send out the message Lord Karstark and hopefully your son will be back with us soon." Lord Karstark nodded gratefully and with the rest of the company apart from her and Brienne left the room. "So mother, I hope it is important that I have to break a meeting with my councillors." He said shortly with irritation, Catelyn did not like her son's tone but did not mention it as she lay _Ice_ down on the table and unwrapped it from its bundle. Robb's eyes widened as he saw his family's ancestral sword which he had assumed lost.

"When I was in the south I met with Lord Harry Tyrell who recovered it for us and tried to save Ned, he has taken Arya into his home and vowed on your father's deathbed to protect her." Catelyn explained. "And I learned why the Vale has not come to our aid, Lysa is in the thrall of Baelish who is holding it back for his own reasons, not to mention he is the one responsible for your father's death." Catelyn said with her anger growing as she thought of the boy she had known since childhood getting her husband killed and her daughter held hostage.

As she continued Robb grew more and more angry himself, all this death and suffering because of the whims of one man and would have said something if not for the sudden knock at the door.

"Your grace." Lord Wallain's voice sound on the other side. "There is an urgent message for you."

"Enter." Robb said putting his rage in check until later when he could find a better outlet for it, Boros Wallain entered and handed his king the message which he immediately started to read.

 _To his grace Robb Stark,_

 _I write to you as myself, not as a member of House Tyrell which has rather stupidly in my own opinion sided with the Lannisters for a small amount of power. It is an action I in no way agree with and if I have my way this alliance will not stand for long as I will do what I can to break it up._

 _I also wish to assure you that I would never hand your sister Arya into their custody, she will remain safe and as soon as the war is over she will return to you. I will also try to rescue your other sister Sansa from Kings Landing at the first opportunity._

 _To prove my sincerity I have send a squadron of longboats under the command of Ser Gunthor Hightower to Moat Cailin and liberated it from Iron Born control, it has been handed over to Lord Reed and so your route home with the exception of the sea has been reopened. I will meet you in secret at the Twins when your uncle is wed to discuss a more formal alliance at that time._

 _Until then,_

 _Lord Harry Tyrell, Lord Paramount of the Stepstones and Warden of the Narrow Sea._

Robb was unsettled by the letter, the news that he might not have to face the Reach's army was a huge relief and that the Lannisters could lose their new ally but could he trust Harry Tyrell Robb pondered?

* * *

 _ **Qarth, Essos…**_

Daenerys was feeling rather pleased with herself.

Although the Thirteen as they so called themselves and the Last Warlock of Qarth had plotted to steal her dragons with the aid of her treasonous ex-handmaiden Doreah she had gotten them back and slain her enemies. The last wealth of the Thirteen was now hers and while not as great as they had boasted it it was a start in her quest to regain her family's throne. She did not even need it to buy a ship though as the Tourmaline Brotherhood had bequeathed her with a ship and a dragon styled crown in thanks for her removing their enemies. It was beautiful Daenerys thought, made of yellow gold with silver wings and three dragon heads made of jade, ivory and onyx to represent her three dragons.

A day that had started as a disaster had become a triumph.

She was smiling as her remaining Dothraki loaded their belongings onto the good sized ship and her protector Ser Jorah was smiling too, he had been glad to see her emerge from the House of the Undying whole and healthy and renewed his vow to her after begging her not to do something like that again.

Her laugh had not exactly pleased him but he couldn't help but smile at her happiness.

She was about to board her new ship, named _Balerion_ after her family's greatest dragon when she and Ser Jorah overheard some sailors talking nearby.

"Five they say, bigger than war galleys and faster than any bird. They burned the Iron Fleet into the sea and then disappeared. All of Westeros is shaking in their boots." An old sailor said to another with a laugh, not the least bit frightened. The other sailor nodded before saying with a laugh.

"If the dragons are back the Old Lion must be shaking even harder than anyone, after all he did." Both men laughed now while Daenerys's eye brows rose in surprise, followed by Ser Jorah who looked as confused as she was.

"Excuse me but what are you talking about? I could not help but overhear." Daenerys said in the city's tongue, the two old sailors stopped laughing and were slightly annoyed at being interrupted regardless of who she was. The sea was their only love.

"Dragons in Westeros, about five of them burned the Iron Fleet into the sea a couple of weeks ago. No one knows where they came from or where they went now excuse us." One of the sailor's said and he with his friend went off to a tavern to get a drink, leaving a very confused and shocked Daenerys and Ser Jorah behind. They turned to each other and Daenerys said blankly.

"Dragons. More dragons."

"I have a few friends in Westeros Khaleesi, I will enquire with them to see if there is any truth in it." Ser Jorah said trying to reassure her while he wondered if this was some part of Varys' plan. Why he did not know but he intended to get answers from the Spider.

"They must be wild." Daenerys said largely to herself. "No one but a Targaryen can control a dragon so that must be it." She took a moment to convince herself of that before saying with shaky confidence. "When I get to Westeros I will find them and bring them under control."

Ser Jorah would have reminded her of the fact that there had been other families to fly dragons but he was still to confused himself and vowed to say nothing until he had heard back from the Spider.

* * *

 _I thank any one who took their precious time to read this chapter, please review to give me your thoughts on it._

 _I hope you all liked the end of Euron and the Iron Born, I have to confess the real reason for bringing him back was to keep Harry busy in the first half of the War of the Five Kings. Harry would have run rings around Balon and Yara. Now Harry has to play catch up and get involved properly._

 _ **Next Chapter**_ _– Daenerys arrives at Astapor and makes some new friends and reactions across Westeros at Harry's victory. Also a certain wedding is due._


	24. Chapter 24 Looking after Our Own

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter, there are far too many of you to name here individually but I am grateful that you all give this your time._

 _Jasen Tyrell and Harry's older children are now four and a half years old nearly five, just in case anyone wanted to know._

 **Chapter 24 – Looking after Our Own**

 _ **The Iron Islands…**_

Harry and his men boarded their ships as they left Great Wyk two weeks after they had landed on Pyke, exhausted but confident that they had finished what they had set out to do, the Iron Born were now defeated and would he hoped never be a threat to them again. Relentlessly they had hunted down and killed every Drowned Priest, smashed every shrine, torn the noble houses that followed their counsel down and stripped the islands of all their looted wealth, leaving a devastated group of islands. They would be too busy trying to survive to make trouble for anyone now.

Harry entered his cabin after ordering all their ships to set course for home, he rubbed his temples as a headache formed never wanting to have to carry out such a wide-scale slaughter as he just had ever again. Thousands of people lay in mass graves nobles, common folk and Drowned Priests alike which had been the cost of what they hoped would be change in the islands. He just wanted to go home and see his wife and children, be surrounded by people he loved and cared about and not have to lift his swords again outside of sparring for a long time. Kanoro and all their battle hardened men were likewise eager to get home whether it was to the Reach, Stepstones or the Westerlands and be with their families again and hoped not to leave them any time soon. Besides he had to be at the Twins in a couple of days for his secret meeting with Robb Stark.

His thoughts turned to their allies from the Westerlands, they had joined him to protect their homes against the orders of their ruthless and violent lord, Tywin Lannister. Before the Lannisters and Tyrells had allied together which still angered him greatly Harry would have not have been able to do something but now he could. So he pulled out some blank parchment and a quill and started to write, if his family could promise his fealty without his consent then he had the same right to use their name too.

* * *

 _ **Kings Landing…**_

The ravens announcing Harry's victory in the Iron Islands reached the capital to much fanfare, people in the streets cried out in joy at the menace of the Iron Born being stamped out once and hopefully for all. The Faith too joined the cries of celebration as what they saw as false gods and their followers were wiped out and the destruction of the legendary Starry Sept was avenged. Harry's status as a powerful warrior and a leader were firmly established in their minds, in others as a butcher and a killer while some thought him a hero.

Tywin Lannister was one of the first to know, he had been handed the raven personally by Pycelle and was able to breathe a sigh of relief privately to himself that the threat of the Greyjoys had been eliminated without him having to lift a finger and soon Robb Stark would no longer be a threat to him either having made the arrangements with Lords Frey and Bolton before he had even come to back to Kings Landing and made no more communication about it to avoid his trap being discovered until it was time and the threat of House Stark would be eliminated. He was about to go back to work to try and find a way to pay for the enormous debt the war had created with the Iron Bank when a quiet knock sounded at the door.

"Enter." He said, not keen on being interrupted while he was working. Pycelle walked slowly in and handed him a letter.

"From the Iron Islands my lord." Pycelle said and Tywin saw the hawk emblem of House Tyrell of Bloodstone so he curiously opened the letter and read it.

 _To Lord Tywin Lannister,_

 _I am writing to you as the Hand of the King to make you aware if you are not already that the Iron Islands have been brought to bend the knee and hostages they held released, hopefully they will not pose a threat again for many years to come._

 _I wish dearly to tell you that I was most impressed at the fortitude and valour shown by the men of Houses Crakehall, Farman and Kayce. They have fought as true warriors and I was proud to call them brothers in arms and hope to fight along side them in the future against whatever enemies may arise. House Tyrell owes them a debt and one I intend to repay._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Lord Harry Tyrell, Lord Paramount of Bloodstone and Warden of the Narrow Sea._

Tywin's eyes narrowed at the words on the page in front of him, he had been planning to take some action against the rebel houses but now he did not want to risk alienating a man as dangerous as Harry Tyrell if he was telling the truth in his letter. A man of considerable military experience and with a growing following across the country, many in his homeland of the Reach were happy to sing his praises with a number of Stormlords and a few others on his side, that kind of power could be very dangerous if he decided to stage a coup for control of the Reach or worst if something happened to Loras and Mace Tyrell. Likewise he could not truly press for Tommen to receive Storm's End after it and a number of other Stormlands castles had been seized by a coalition of Stormlords led by Lord Swann, a faction allied to Harry Tyrell and with a strong and powerful army of their own. Tywin's silence confirming in the eyes of many that he was quietly consenting to the Swanns becoming the new Lord Paramount of the Stormlands as he had no where near enough men to fight for it.

Tywin was not a man to show emotion but anger would be the one he was feeling now, despite all his efforts House Tyrell continued to gain influence and he was literally near powerless to stop it. But perhaps Tywin thought with a calculating look in his eye he could stop Harry Tyrell from taking control of Highgarden, all Loras Tyrell would have to do is marry Cersei and put a babe in her. He knew well of Loras' preferences in company but there were ways around that Tywin thought and went back to work, hoping there would be no more surprises other than the ones he arranged.

 **-x-**

The supposedly mighty king Joffrey meanwhile was howling in his chambers at the fact he would have no Iron Born prisoners to torment.

"They were mine to kill and to torment! THEY WERE MINE!" He screeched and paced around the room like a caged animal, standing nearby was his new betrothed Margaery who was smiling but it did not reach her eyes, she was feeling a little worried about this mad boy that she would be marrying and wondering if maybe they should have avoided allying with the Lannisters at all. Still she kept her smile on her face and went over to him and gently took his hand.

"My king, you already killed them. It was done in your name." She said, using his confusion at her words to gain more influence over Joffrey. "My brother and his men carried out your will, doing your bidding and that is what history will record, that you brought an end to their reign of terror and cut out the heart of their culture. I promise my king." Margaery said, gently stroking his hand while she said it, she could see his resolve weakening and soon she had him eating out of her hand again but she was mentally wondering if maybe they should break off this alliance while they had the chance.

 **-x-**

The throne room was abuzz with people talking about the news of the Iron Born's defeat and destruction, many silk wearing nobles who had never fought in their lives were either dismissive of what the Tyrell had done or looked down on him for such 'barbarity'. Mace Tyrell was in his element, boasting to everyone that would listen of 'his victory' over the Iron Born while Olenna looked on at him with disgust, alongside Randyll Tarly. How honestly could he take credit for his son's work when he was thousands of miles away and had only met or spoken to his son once in ten years they asked themselves.

Sansa was glad of the destruction of the Iron Born as well, after they had killed her little brothers and pillaged her homeland. She with her new mindset admired Harry Tyrell's efforts to stamp out such ruthless thugs and wondered how Visenya might have handled such a situation...probably the same way Sansa thought and decided to spend more time reading the Targaryen queen's journal, she still had much to learn.

 **-x-**

Elsewhere a former brothel owner was staring at the ruins of his former holdings and wondering what the hell had happened? He had hidden his holdings so carefully and nearly all of them had been destroyed, he was stunned to say the least.

Sure he had some places left but they were all low key safe-houses and the like, he had power through Lysa as regent of the Vale but near all his wealth had gone. His anger rose as his gains had disappeared and he had no idea of where the hell it had all gone, he could only guess that Harry Tyrell was responsible, that this was his retaliation for the attack on Zara Connington. He had heard through his network of just how good a warrior and general he was but Petyr had run rings around Robert Baratheon and nearly every other game player, he would outmanoeuvre the Tyrell. Men like him were easy to outmanoeuvre.

He would pay for destroying his wealth Baelish vowed with anger, already trying to come up with some horrible way to kill him.

* * *

 _ **Astapor, Essos…**_

Daenerys was delighted to be off the ship, however proud she was to have one she did not enjoy the constant pitching and lurching not to mention it brought up bad memories of Viserys constantly reminding her that their mother had died on a ship giving birth to her.

Still she dismissed those unpleasant thoughts and looked around the port, replacing it instead with the excitement of seeing a new place but she had more important business, she was here to buy herself an army. She was greeted at the dockside by an official of the Masters here, Kraznys mo Nakloz who himself was accompanied by a girl of Naathi descent who translated for him. Daenerys had decided to keep the fact that she could understand and speak Old Valyrian to herself in case she learnt something in their ignorance of her ability to understand.

Accompanied by her faithful shadow Ser Jorah she walked up the winding path with Kraznys and his translator, he was of course doing his best to make the Unsullied sound impressive.

"The Unsullied have stood here for a day and night without water. They will stand until they drop such is their obedience." The girl said for her master as they entered the small training ground where nearly a hundred Unsullied stood in complete silence and as unmoving as statues. It was unnerving Daenerys thought to herself, like they were not truly alive. The sudden movement to allow them to walk between them was nearly enough to make her jump although she managed to control herself and ask a question of her own.

"They might suit my needs. Tell me of their training." Daenerys spoke to the girl in the common tongue and waited to hear the response.

She listened as the girl did her best to be polite and accurate, pleasing her and the girl's own master who did not even spare her a second glance.

"They begin their training at 5." The girl said looking uncomfortable. "Everyday they train from dawn to dusk until they have mastered the short-sword, the shield and the three spears. Only one boy in four survives this rigorous training, their discipline and loyalty are absolute they fear nothing."

Daenerys listened feigning ignorance as the master insulted both her and Ser Jorah in his own belief that they could not understand and the girl did her best not upset anyone, Daenerys felt pity on the girl she was wasted with such a stupid master and for the Unsullied when Kraznys gave a completely unnecessary demonstration of their loyalty, cutting the nipples off one of the Unsullied as the man stood there and said & did nothing. She had to admire their fortitude even if she was hating the men that owned them and wondered if there was a way to gain their allegiance as she had no where near enough coin to pay for them all.

As she later wandered through the market she looked around without really seeing anything she was so lost in her thoughts, she did not see the daggers being drawn all around her.

Ser Jorah thankfully did and drew his sword in her defence but he was soon accosted by four assassins coming at them from behind and unable to stop the nine coming at her from ahead, her fear rising she stepped back, hoping Ser Jorah would be able to get them out of here but just as she was about to run a dagger flew at her from one of the assassins. She closed her eyes as time seemed to slow down, her heart beating like a drum, she could not believe that after years of dodging assassins and all that she done since marrying Drogo that it would end like this.

A sudden thump made her open her eyes again as two cloaked strangers appeared from the crowd, one of which had used a wooden shield to block the dagger that had been destined for her heart and cast it aside before they both drew swords and moved to intercept the assassins cutting them down like wheat in a field while she looked on in astonishment. Ser Jorah was soon back at her side and checking her for injuries and his concerned eyes made her feel better.

The assassins quickly fell to swordsmanship the likes of which even Ser Jorah could not match and the two cloaked figures who sheathed their swords turned to face her.

"I owe you my life good sers." She said her heart still pounding and grateful beyond measure, the cloaked figures dropped their hoods to reveal two men, one older one younger. The older man spoke while the younger one just smiled.

"It is our honour my queen."

Daenerys caught sight of the stunned look on Ser Jorah and asked him.

"Do you know these men?"

"The older one yes." Ser Jorah said his hand still close to his sword. "He is one of the greatest fighters the Seven Kingdoms has ever seen and as the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard of Robert Baratheon." Her heart plummeted as she assumed the man's purpose here immediately was to kill her on the behalf of the Usurper but the old man with his blade sheathed walked towards her and spoke in his own defence.

"Robert Baratheon is dead, I have been searching for you Daenerys Stormborn to ask your forgiveness. I swore to protect your family and I failed them." The old man said his eyes showing sorrow at the last part before he knelt before her followed by the younger man. "I am Barristan Selmy, Kingsguard to your father and this is Jasen Waters, the son of Ser Arthur Dayne the Sword of the Morning who was also of your father's Kingsguard. And we wish to join your Queensguard and I will not fail you again." Barristan said imploring her to accept while she was stunned and unable to speak at first before she regained enough of her faculties to address them.

"I have heard of your exploits Ser Barristan and those of your father Jasen Waters, I know you were given no choice in serving the Usurper and there is much I would like to know of my family." Daenerys said, she knew it was foolish after all this man could be spinning a tale to gain her confidence before he killed her but she had a feeling that he was telling the truth and if she was to be queen of Westeros then she would have to trust her own judgement. "I would gladly welcome your service and that of Jasen Waters, you may rise." She said to both men managing a smile while Ser Jorah looked at them suspiciously.

The two men looked proud at her acceptance and took their place at her side as she walked through the city, feeling much like this could be a sign the gods were with her.

* * *

 _ **The Twins, the Riverlands…**_

Harry was grateful at having apparition to aid his travel as he rode on Storm to get to the Twins for his secret meeting with Robb Stark, otherwise it would have taken him days to get there and as it was he was already late to the wedding. Not that he could publicly attend anyway Harry thought with a smile, gods knows how many times Late Walder would try to get him to marry his own children to his endless brood.

However the moment he got close he realised something was wrong.

Instead of the music and drunken shouting you would hear at a wedding there was screaming and the sounds of steel in the air and the blood quickly drained from his face as he realised what was happening, especially as he saw that it was men of House Bolton and Frey slaughtering the half drunk Northerners and Riverlanders.

Tywin you bastard he thought and desperately he tried to think of a way to stop this, he was alone and there were far too many soldiers to fight and they were too packed together for him to use large scale magic's without killing a good number of Stark men as well. That left him without many options, except he realised some theatrics.

So he quickly pointed his ring at his throat after tying Storm to a tree and cast the sonorous charm with as much magic as he could and started to shout towards the Twins.

"HOUSE FREY AND HOUSE BOLTON!" Harry shouted his voice, distorting it too as it echoed across the area and causing the Frey and Bolton soldiers to stop in terror of the terrible voice. "YOU HAVE BROKEN THE GUEST RITE! THE MOST SACRED OF OUR LAWS AND WE THE OLD GODS CURSE YOU! SAVOUR YOUR VICTORY BECAUSE IT WILL NOT LAST, EVERYTHING YOU TOUCH WILL BE TAKEN FROM YOU! YOUR HOUSES WILL BE DESTROYED BUT KNOW WHEN WE TAKE YOU IT WILL BE WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT! SEE OUR POWER!" Harry shouted with all the anger and fury he could manage and apparated himself quickly to the side of the river and cast a quick burst of fiendfyre at the Frey's bridge, feeling a sense of satisfaction as the stone crumbled and broke causing the centre of the bridge to fall into the deep river beneath. "RUN!" Harry then called out and the terror of men at the horrible sounding voice that was louder than anything they had heard in their entire lives and the sudden destruction of the sturdy bridge from which the Freys had made their livelihood was so great they did not even question the voice's command and started running for the hills.

"TO RIVERTHORN!" A familiar cried out from the Stark and Tully men that were fleeing southward, Harry could be glad that Boros had survived as had at least two thirds of Robb Stark's army. So with Robb Stark's army escaping Harry forced his way, disguised in his cloak and hood into the Twins to look for anyone he could save. The mad banging on the stables was his first chance and he rushed over to find Robb Stark's wolf Greywind was still alive and frantically trying to get out of the stable. Harry opened the door and the direwolf ran straight past him towards the keep with Harry following as fast as he could behind hoping against hope that he was not too late.

A devastated howl from the direwolf was the death knell for those hopes and he rounded the corner to see the arrow riddled corpse of Robb Stark, the boy's wife Jeyne and his mother laying on the floor of the hall, Harry stopped still and felt like howling with the wolf.

He had failed...again. How in the hell was he going to tell Arya?

His wretchedness soon gave way to anger as he cast an eye around and saw no Frey in sight, a line of piss led out of the room and it seemed the old weasel lord of the Twins had fled. Harry would dearly have liked to kill him personally but that was not his kill by rights, only the Stark girls had that right now he thought and realising full well that the Freys and Boltons would claim the North and Riverlands he would do his best to help the Stark girls reclaim their rightful seats.

Seeing the wolf sit dejectedly next to Robb Stark's corpse Harry stunned the wolf and set to work, the Freys might have won by the most pathetic way possible tonight but their victory was going to taste as bitter as defeat Harry swore to himself. He collected bodies of Robb Stark, his wife and Catelyn and apparated them along with the wolf to Bloodstone along with Storm where he left them before returning to the Twins to exact his revenge.

The castle was by large empty after his little speech earlier so he went to treasury and food stores and shrunk it all down and put it into his pouch and walked through the entire castle, setting every single thing that was flammable on fire and withdrawing to see the castle burn as the fire spread in one keep before going to the other one on the other side of the river and doing the exact same thing. A smirk coming to his face as he watched the castles burn, men returning were already screaming for water but knowing there was more to do tonight Harry did not waste time with their efforts to save the castles.

He apparated away from the Twins and into the Red Keep which was thankfully quiet at this time of night and said.

"Point me Sansa Stark." His ring glowed towards the guest wing of the Red Keep so Harry cast a notice me not charm on himself and walked quickly through the castle corridors following the glow of his spell until it shone brightly enough for him to guess which room she was in. Two Lannister guards stood outside and Harry drew two of his throwing knives from his belt and without warning threw them into the throats of the Lannister guards who desperately looked around to try and see where the attack had come from or to find someone to help them as blood gushed from their throats.

They fell to their feet as Harry walked past without a backwards glance, he pushed the door open and the sound woke Sansa Stark who bolted up right to see Harry cloaked right in front of her and seeing a potential repeat of his first attempt to rescue the girl Harry spoke quickly while lowering his hood.

"Sansa Stark I am here to rescue you." Harry could have smacked himself for using such words but he was still too angry at what happened earlier which was made worst by the fact he would now have to tell Sansa what had happened too. The scream he had been fearful of thankfully was silenced when the girl absorbed his words and recognised him. She got out of bed stood ready in her shift to run and Harry was astonished to see how much the girl's attitude had changed since they last met. "Gather whatever you cannot bare to leave, we do not have much time."

The girl did not as he expected get a lot of things, only a letter and a book before coming over. Harry offered her his hand and said. "Hold on tight."

She looked at him confused for a moment before taking his hand and he apparated them straight to Bloodstone, Sansa was stunned for a moment at the sudden change of location before Rhaenys in her sleepwear accompanied by Alwyn, Daena and Aeron entered.

"Welcome to Bloodstone Sansa, when you have had some sleep we will reunite you with your sister Arya and explain all I promise. Until then please do as my wife asks and get some rest." Harry said and Sansa while still stunned allowed herself to be led to a guest room by Daena and Aeron although she looked shocked at the mention of Arya and smiled while Harry stayed to talk to his wife who immediately noticed his anger.

"What has happened?" She asked concerned and he barely managed to control his temper.

"The Freys and the Boltons ambushed Robb Stark and his people at the Twins during the wedding, I managed to save some of his army with a bit of magic and fear tactics but he and his mother are dead." Harry told her banging his fist against the wall and not caring for a second if it hurt or not. Rhaenys looked shocked and horrified for a moment before a look of fury crossed her face.

"Tywin." She snarled knowing the man's ruthlessness better than most, he would not have cared a jot for the guest rite or any other law in favour of getting what he wanted.

"I have to go and meet with the surviving Stark loyalists, see if I get them organised meanwhile keep an eye on the girls we'll tell them in the morning." Harry said sadly before taking his wife's hand and kissing it. She gave him a sad smile and pressed his hand to her cheek, he smiled now too before letting go of her hand and apparating himself back to the Riverlands.

* * *

 _ **Riverthorn, the Riverlands…**_

The castle of Riverthorn was a good sized stronghold with a town around it and instead of being quiet given it was the middle of the night, it was buzzing with activity as members of Robb Stark's army arrived in groups both large and small, looking haggard and defeated after what had happened at the Twins and that their great king was dead. Even the Seven worshipping Riverlanders though made trips to the castle's godswood to pay their respects after the intervention of the Old Gods that had saved their lives.

In the hall of the castle meanwhile there was a lot of anger as the surviving leaders of the army argued over what the hell had just happened and what they were going to do now.

"We need to strike back at the Freys and Boltons now before they can regroup." Rodrik Forrester said with spit flying from his mouth and red in the face from his rage, his father had died in the ambush at the Twins and he himself had been badly injured and would likely have been killed too if not for his father's squire Gared Tuttle who had carried him to safety. The young lad at his side nodding furiously in agreement, his arguments were supported furious by Patrek Mallister who too had lost his father in the ambush.

"We fucking gut them to their last babe and throw them into a dirt to rot."

However Dacey Mormont had a different opinion however angry she was over her mother's death mere hours ago.

"We haven't the men to take them on now! Moral is destroyed with his grace dead." Lord Boros Wallain nodded in agreement.

"I have to side with Lady Mormont, without reinforcements and an heir of Robb Stark to rally them we have no chance at present to overthrow them."

"Agreed." A voice at the side said, the Blackfish a.k.a Brynden Tully stepped forward and tried to take control of things to get them organised. "With Edmure captured and given he left Riverrun in the hands Stevron Frey we can expect that to be in their hands too, we need a plan to survive now until we can strike back." The lords and knights gathered calmed down slightly as they turned to him, however he was interrupted before he could speak.

"Then it is good that so many of you survived, it is a strong beginning to a resistance." Their nerves still high from the earlier they all jumped to their feet and drew their still bloody weapons only to see Harry standing their completely calm with his hands at his side to show he had no weapons in hand.

"Lord Tyrell." Boros said sheathing his weapon and while Dacey looked highly suspicious at his appearance here she sheathed her weapons too, the rest of the haggard and tired group however still kept theirs in hand.

"The Tyrells are allied with the Lannisters, is this their part of the plan to ambush us here and kill us all." The Blackfish said and all of them looked ready to cut him down on the spot but Harry understanding their anger fully did not react to it and tried to stay perfectly calm.

"My idiot father is, not me. I have never sworn fealty to Joffrey whatever they say and I had journeyed here tonight to try and make an alliance of my own with Robb Stark, if you think for a second that I want my sister tied to that vicious little bastard then you can go screw yourselves for all I care." Harry said his becoming slightly heated towards the end, the thought of having Joffrey in his family honestly it made him sick. They did not look convinced in the slightest so Harry irritated and getting tired of all the running around he was doing tonight decided just to tell them the truth and get an oath to keep it quiet later.

"I saved Arya Stark on the day of her father's death and I as proof of my sincerity to Robb Stark tonight arranged for Sansa Stark to rescued from Kings Landing, they are or soon will be safe in the Stepstones until they could return home which obviously cannot happen now. Believe me I am not looking forward to telling them what happened to their family." Harry said sharply. "Who do you think recovered _Ice_ for Robb Stark and gave it to Lady Catelyn? I met her when she came to negotiate with Renly but I guess she didn't tell you that." Harry said to the Blackfish who was angry at having this whelp whatever his reputation speak to him like that.

"You did that?" Ser Lucas Blackwood asked looking suspicious but remembered how his king's mood had seemed to lift after Lady Catelyn had returned from the Stormlands although many had put it down to his wife Queen Jeyne and the sudden return of _Ice_ had been a mystery to all especially the Battle Companions who Robb had hinted to that they might have a potential ally in the south. Was it this Tyrell? The others were not entirely convinced by his words but Boros nodded, surprising them all.

"If the sisters of Robb Stark are still alive then perhaps we have someone to rally behind, are they capable of leading and ruling?" Boros asked while everyone else looked shocked at how much he was trusting this outsider as none knew of their connection. Harry nodded and told them.

"Arya is proving to a capable warrior in her own right and has been learning tactics and strategy along with the grasp of politics needed to rule, Sansa will be given the same training once she arrives on the Islands. But for now you all need to keep your heads down and rebuild your strength for when the time comes to take back the North and the Riverlands, play along with the Freys and Boltons until the moment is right. If you appear to have given up then they will become overconfident and then we can destroy them, not to mention it will tell us which houses stay with you and which support your enemies." Harry said suggesting a plan that would allow them some time to catch their breath and recover from the Red Wedding not to mention find out just who their enemies were. Some houses were bound to side with the Boltons and Freys just because they appeared to be the strongest and this way they would learn who they could trust and who would betray them.

"That could take years." Ser Wylis Manderly said with fury, his brother Wendel had been killed in the ambush and he was worried what might become of his daughters if the Boltons ruled the North. Ser Marq Piper and Ser Lucas Blackwood nodded in agreement worried for their own families. "And there is still the matter of the Tyrells assisting the Lannisters, we cannot do anything with the threat of their army hanging over us." The angry gazes returned and Harry sighed wondering if he was wasting his time with this but he managed to keep his temper and responded.

"Not for long if I can help it, I am going to do anything I can to break that alliance up and get my sister away from that Lannister bastard. Not to mention you are not so alone now, I have no intention of letting the Lannisters rule." Harry said earnestly he had been furious to learn of the alliance and his sister's upcoming nuptials and had no intention of letting it proceed, perhaps it was time he thought darkly to give Arya Stark what she wanted.

"All the while my family home belongs to those disgusting traitors." The Blackfish snarled, he had no intention of letting that happen for long and was already in his own mind planning to retake it. Rodrik Forrester meanwhile had worries of his own.

"Whitehill men were fighting with the Boltons at the Red Wedding." He said giving the event a name that would be soon infamous across Westeros. "They will want my family's Ironwood and we haven't the men to fight them." Rodrik was genuinely worried for his family and already making plans to summon his brother Asher back to help.

"You will not have to fight alone." Ser Wylis said and was joined by nods of agreement from Dacey Mormont and Ser Lothor Brune.

"And I have some gold to hire sellswords with and food to fill your cellars." Harry added planning on giving him at least some of the gold and food that he had taken from the Twins so it would be put to good use. He then turned to the Blackfish and a quick glance at his surface thoughts with legimency told Harry what he was planning and an idea sprang into his mind. "Since I assume you are planning to retake Riverrun, how fast could you do it if I quietly backed you?"

The Blackfish was not sure he trusted this Reach lord especially with how well he predicted his thoughts but given his backing could speed things up considerably he was not sure he could refuse. "A few months, half a year at the most."

"Then they would siege it, the Freys I mean and that would be a good way to learn who would support them over you, not to mention they would surely bring Edmure your nephew with them as without him they have nothing." Harry said his hand going to his chin as he pondered. "The Frey army would be out in the open, exposed and without the Boltons to support them. An ideal time to destroy them."

"He's right." Boros said following his chain of thought, especially given how useless the Freys had been in the war while fighting on their side lacking discipline and valour. "If they lose their hostage and their army is destroyed then we can finally take our revenge and that leaves the Boltons alone. Can you give us fighting men my lord?"

Harry was about to say no given he had not wanted his involvement to be that public but then he thought where has being subtle gotten us? If he had been more overt earlier maybe this massacre would never have happened and he would not have the headache of having to take apart the Lannister/Tyrell alliance. There was a time for subtle and a time for action and he had been subtle for far too long he thought angrily, it was time to make his voice heard in more ways than one.

"Yes, around eight thousand men but give me fair warning before you do it as I will need to ship them to the Riverlands in advance." That did shock them all, they had expected him to say no immediately but they did not complain as Harry's troops alone outnumbered the Freys two to one and that was without whatever they could add. The gold he would be using was not even his, it would come out of what he had stolen from the Twins so it brought a sense of amusement to him that the Freys were in effect paying for the resistance against themselves and the Boltons and given the high tolls the Freys demanded for the right to cross their bridge there was enough to it.

They all looked around, not sure if this was a trap or not but they had little other option so they all made their vows to each other while Harry used his ring to make them magical, guaranteeing they would not sell him or each other out and was about to leave when they had one last arrival.

"My lords. I have a prisoner, grabbed him as he fled the Twins." Ser Garret Snow said as he entered looking a little worst for wear with bruises and dented armour but the new Lord of Grenward, home of House Barnell who Harry had given a loan too so they could build a bridge of their own over the Green Fork was lucky to be alive. His father, stepmother and half brother had perished at the Red Wedding so here he was as lord. He for his skill in battle had been made one of the Robb's battle companions, an unofficial Kingsguard. But the important thing now was the figure he and his men where dragging, gagged behind them. Black Walder, one of the most infamous sons of Lord Frey and a key figure in the Red Wedding.

All of them went for their weapons at the sight of him but Harry with the aid of a compulsion charm to calm them took centre stage.

"Good thank you Lord Garret, now we can find out just who was involved in this disgusted treason tonight. Consider your family's loan paid in full." Harry said not caring in the least of the small amount of coin he would lose from it, he was wealthy enough anyway. He reached into his pouch and pulled out one of the potions he carried around just in case of emergencies. He held the vial up to Black Walder's face and said with a smirk that sent a chill up the spines of all who saw it and Black Walder looked ready to piss himself.

"This is a little something I picked up on my travels in Essos, an old Chroyane recipe that loosens tongues. Its quite painless mores the pity but one sip and you can only speak truth. So...let's see what you have to say." Harry said pulling the man's gag loose and clamping a strong hand on his face to keep his mouth open while the Barnell men held Black Walder firmly down as he struggled to escape but Harry managed to get enough of the truth potion down his throat and forced him to swallow, it was no vertiserum but it was a good second.

Black Walder blinked and choked as the serum took effect and Harry now setting his face into a stern mask as he asked the questions he needed to ask.

"What is your name?"

"Walder Frey." Black Walder said in a flat emotionless tone.

"Who were the main plotters in the ambush at the Twins tonight?" Harry asked, in his mind he would commit those names to memory.

"Tywin Lannister, Roose Bolton, Lord Walder Frey, Petyr Baelish and Sybell Westerling."

"WHAT!" Ser Raynald Westerling cried out in disbelief, the others looked to him with surprise and quickly suspicion. He had fled with his family's men during the chaos and tried desperately to find Jeyne but there had been no sign of her so he had returned here hoping she might have survived.

"She was ensuring her daughter did not get pregnant but we riddled her with crossbow bolts to make sure that the whore did not give birth to a fucking Stark." Black Walder said and the news his sister was dead and their mother had been at least partly responsible for it devastated Raynald who sank to his knees in shock. Everyone gave him some space, they understood his shock and despair all to well after everyone they had lost tonight.

"So which Riverland and Northern houses were responsible for the Red Wedding?" Harry asked, again making sure to remember them.

"Frey, Bolton, Whitehill, Karstark, Goodbrook and Haigh." Black Walder said and everyone suddenly gasped at the mention of the Karstarks and Harry raised an eyebrow.

"I thought the Karstarks were loyal to Robb Stark?" Harry asked wanting confirmation as the Karstarks were supposed to be one of the most loyal vassals of House Stark, they were the only surviving cadet house for gods sake and if they were complicit in the Red Wedding then he had to know.

"Lord Karstark was but his youngest son Harald isn't." Black Walder said. "He never liked how fucking stupid the Starks were and wanted new blood to rule the North but his father would never hear of it. Roose Bolton promised him lordship of Karhold if he supported his rule and kept his men away while his father went to the Red Wedding to die."

That made things more difficult Harry thought with anger, next to the Starks and Boltons the Karstarks were one of the most powerful of the Northern houses so if they supported the Boltons it would be harder to wrestle Winterfell away from them.

"Then our plan stays the same and now at least we have some idea of who our enemies are." the Blackfish said, not liking the odds against them but he was unmovable in his determination to win.

Harry nodded and took one last look at Black Walder before saying the to gathered Stark loyalists.

"He's all yours." The grim and angry looks on their faces promised that Black Walder's last few hours would be anything but quick and pleasant.

 **-x-**

 _ **Unknown location, the Riverlands…**_

Two figures walked with their shoulders slumped through the countryside away from the Twins.

They were despondent over the Red Wedding for different reasons, the taller of the two Brienne of Tarth was the one who felt it worst. Her mind was spinning as images of Renly being killed and then of Robb Stark and his mother that she had sworn to protect being slaughtered by the cowards of House Frey and House Bolton...Brienne honestly had never felt so wretched and full of hate in her entire life, it was even worst than when it had happened to Renly because this was the second time she had failed to save the lives of those she had sworn to protect. Honestly Brienne thought with her mind becoming a quagmire of despair and hatred, what good was she if she could not even save one king after serving two?

Next to her Jaime Lannister was likewise full of despair and hate but with him it was more focused and directed, he knew just who was behind this. Who else but his father would do something so low and underhand as to break the guest rite and ambush someone at a wedding? His own blood had made this possible, his own father's guiding hand behind the scenes so as to never dirty himself and get others to end his problems for him. That was the stock he came from and honestly Jaime would rather slit his own wrists than call that man father. The Starks despite being at war with his family had been more gracious and worthy of the throne than anyone that he had ever met, they at least were just to see their duties to others done and see the value in things other than gold or power unlike his sister and father he thought spitting in his disgust at the mere thought of them, the world had been cursed the days they had been born.

The sight of a group of riders from House Frey coming up to them only made the two more angry but they held their tongues as they approached.

"Ser Lannister, we were sent to find and assist you back to Kings Landing by order of your father and to return your family's sword to him." The lead rider said, a fat and squat man that stank of piss Jaime's eyes narrowed as he saw _Brightroar's_ hilt on the man's belt. It might have been awhile since he saw that sword but he knew it like his own hand.

"Show me it is truly my family's sword, you would not like my father's temper if it is false." Jaime commanded with a glare that honestly if anyone had seen it other than the Freys would have reminded them of Tywin Lannister. The fat man's resolve crumbled like paper and he handed Jaime the sword who drew it from its scabbard and confirmed it was indeed _Brightroar_ before turning to Brienne and gave her a look that told her instantly what he was planning and she nodded in agreement.

The fat Frey had no warning at all as Jaime stabbed straight into his gut and tore vicious so he fell from his horse and his guts piled next to him, Brienne moved faster than anyone of her size and pulled another one off his horse before slitting his throat with the dagger at her waist before dropping it and drawing her sword.

The Frey riders were stunned at the sudden attack and dismounted to fight which honestly was the most stupid thing that they could have done, it would be much harder for Jaime and Brienne to fight men on horseback but they had given away that advantage.

Jaime was glad of training the squires as he had kept his skills sharp by teaching and was brutal as he cut his way through the Freys, slashing intentionally at areas that would disable and cause great pain and a slow death. Brienne was not any more merciful than he as she did the same thing, the Freys screamed but could do nothing as the two unleashed their fury.

It was over in moments and seven Freys lay on the ground either dead or dying, most of their horses had bolted but Jaime and Brienne were able to catch two of them and mounted up for their ride.

"So where will you go?" Jaime asked Brienne, the warrior woman feeling much better at having let some of her rage loose on the pathetic Freys loose.

"To Kings Landing, I swore myself to the Starks and now there is only one left Sansa Stark. I will not let anything happen to her." Brienne swore, she had failed the girl's mother so the least thing she could do was make sure Sansa stayed safe and whole. Jaime nodded from his own stolen horse before replying.

"Me too, regardless of how unworthy a king Joffrey is I am still Kingsguard and I have vow to uphold besides like you I want to see that girl safe and sound." Jaime said, a knight's duty was to protect maidens and he had done little of that in his life perhaps it was he realised time to start. "Besides." He added with an angry look crossing his face. "My father is there and it is time I had a talk with him."

Brienne nodded and the two of them rode along the Kings Road which would take them to the capital.

* * *

 _ **Astapor, Essos…**_

Daenerys was wandering down the Walk of Punishment were slaves had been staked out in the sun and left to die of thirst after being horrendously tortured, it stabbed at her heart to see people in such a state but Ser Jorah and Ser Barristan reminded her there was little she could do and that made her angry. She was a dragon, mother to three dragons and yet apparently there was nothing she could do to stop this appalling waste of life! She mind grew darker and she was starting to plot when a raised voice got her attention.

"Get your hands off me!"

She and her three knights looked over to see a woman maybe a couple of years older than herself pushing away a merchant who seemed to be trying to ask the men behind how much she was worth while feeling her body. A solid right hook knocked him straight out and Daenerys could not help but admire her spirit, not traditionally beautiful she had dark brown hair that was cut to her shoulders shorter than was normal, her face was striking enough to leave an impression and Daenerys was intrigued by her. Dressed in leather the other woman had a fit and athletic body that would draw the eyes of men regardless of her other features and Daenerys decided to go over and speak to her.

"They do tend to see women as nothing but commodities to be bought here don't they?" She said with a slight smirk directed at the unconscious merchant. The woman however looked ready to snap at her however she restrained herself and instead said shortly.

"They certainly do." Anything else she might have said was cut short by Ser Jorah drawing his sword and glaring at the woman.

"Ser Jorah!" Daenerys said in surprised disapproval while the woman and her crew all drew their own weapons in readiness to defend themselves. Ser Barristan and Jasen both stood closer to their queen to make sure she was protected. Jorah meanwhile snarled at the woman sailor and her crew.

"They're Iron Born Khalessi and this one unless I am much mistaken is Yara Greyjoy, daughter of the Lord Reaper of Pyke." Ser Jorah told her while keeping his sword ready to cut them down at the slightest sign. Well Daenerys thought to herself, this was a day for surprises first two men connected with her family in one way or another and now the daughter of a Great House had fallen right in her lap. Perhaps this was a beginning to getting allies in Westeros before she returned Daenerys thought and besides an army if she got one would need ships to move them so hopefully this woman was another boon rather than an enemy.

"An exile now Mormont!" Yara snapped back with her sword in hand, the mutual hatred of the Iron Born and Bear Isladers flowing furiously between them. "My uncle Euron usurped the throne of the Iron Islands and would have killed me if I had stayed, now I and my ships wander so shut up slaver!" She said spitting the crime that had gotten him banished from his home in his face, Barristan and Jasen looked disgusted at the mention of slavery and despite Jorah already confessing his crime to her before, Daenerys was unsettled herself perhaps because of what she had seen regarding how slaves where treated here.

However another feeling that came to Daenerys was a sense of kinship with Yara Greyjoy, a young woman like her forced from home and made to run or die. Their rightful seats taken by a usurper and being alone in the world, perhaps Daenerys thought they could help each other.

"How would like a chance of getting the Iron Islands and your rightful seat back?" Daenerys asked with a slight smile. "I need allies and I am here to gain an army that your ships could carry, you could return with an army and three dragons at your back."

Yara was about to laugh in her face but stopped, she knew that Daenerys Targaryen if this was she had three dragons and if she did get an army behind her that would be enough to take back the Islands. Killing Euron was certainly enough of a draw in itself but Yara hesitated, this woman had no army right now and her dragons were still small so her grand scheme was still at best a dream. But still it was a chance to gain some aid and protection.

"Get this army you speak of and a hundred ships are yours." Yara said surprising her crew who honestly had thought she would tell her to fuck off but the sounds of dragons frightened them enough after what had happened off Feastfires that they thought it might be better to be fighting with dragons than against them.

Daenerys nodded, a plan was taking shape in her mind that should get her the army she wanted and not cost her anything.

* * *

 _ **Bloodstone, the Stepstones…**_

For the first time since leaving the North Sansa Stark had gotten a proper night's sleep.

Even though she had been excited to leave the north for Kings Landing or perhaps because of that she had found sleep hard there, some nights she could not sleep at all as a cold feeling had descended in her gut. Her septa had dismissed it as mere nerves and so had she at the time although her father had said it was 'The Wolfs Instinct', a sense the Starks of Old had used to know friend for foe and know when danger was near and to ignore it was a deadly mistake. It was just nonsense according to her late septa but now Sansa honestly believed it and for the first time in as long as she had known it she felt safe.

She walked in the castle's smaller but more exotic gardens and smelled the different and sweet scents of flowers she had never seen before and felt honestly the happiest she'd been in a long time, no more Cersei and Joffrey to torment her, no more constant reminders that she was a prisoner and her life hinged on Jaime Lannister being alive and whole and being sneered at because her family was demanding justice for their father's murder and the Lannisters crimes.

Here she was free.

She didn't even care that she was sweltering in the heat of the islands, far hotter than even the capital and she was wearing more...evocative dresses than she had before. It revealed more of her growing bosom and clung to her body's developing shape in flimsy silk but since she had left her own clothes in Kings Landing the castle's maids had adjusted one of Lady Zara's old dresses to fit her but still the way it drew attention to her hips as they moved or to the slimness of her waist and the shape of her legs by its daring slit in the skirt that went all the way up to her hips. She took a sip of water to ease her thirst and her nervousness at being so 'on display'.

Daena Baelerys came up to her and with her light leather outfit and a sword at her side Sansa could honestly see Daena with her silver hair and marble like skin as Visenya Targaryen or her sister Rhaeneys, both warrior queens and as beautiful as they were deadly.

"Lady Sansa, Lord and Lady Tyrell wish to meet you in their solar."

Sansa smiled and thanked her before following Daena to the room in question as she was no sure just where to go yet, going through several corridors and up a few flights of stairs before arriving in the large and well appointed room with books lining the walls, comfortable looking chairs, banners on the wall and behind a goldenheart desk was Lord Tyrell and his wife. His reputation was a mixed one, a powerful and wealthy lord while being handsome enough that her old self would have blushed in his presence but also one with an image of being ruthless and cunning general that torn his enemy apart mind, body and soul not to mention his powers that she had learnt about last night. The way his eyes constantly observing and giving nothing away about what he was thinking put her in mind of a less vicious version of the Old Lion of the Rock Tywin Lannister. His wife meanwhile instantly struck her in awe, her eyes were just if not more cunning than her husband and was incredibly beautiful with a womanly figure dressed in fine silk and dark waterfall like hair and entrancing purple eyes, while Sansa had not seen any of their children yet she could only think that they would no doubt be as beautiful as their parents.

Sansa smiled immediately and curtsied to her rescuer, he and his wife returned it with a nod but neither was smiling for some reason which instantly made her worry.

"Sansa?" A familiar voice said to the side and her breath caught in her throat as she turned and saw Arya standing in the corner who looked as shocked as she did, Arya was taller and her hair was now cut to her shoulders but in simple training attire that was very boyish she looked more comfortable and content than Sansa had ever known her. No words were said as the two sisters rushed forward and embraced each other as they never had before, tears running from both their eyes and they held each other tight, they had been so worried for each other for so long that the relief of finally seeing each other again was overwhelming.

They just stood there for awhile holding each other as Arya's direwolf Nymeria pressed herself against them, making Sansa's heart yearn for Lady her wolf which had been killed what seemed like a lifetime ago now but it was nice to run her hand through the fur of her sister's wolf and be reminded of better times.

They eventually were broken from this by Lord Tyrell clearing his throat and they sat down to give him their attention but a cold sense of dread settled upon them as they saw the sad looks in their hosts' faces.

"Sansa...Arya I wish I could spare you this but something terrible has happened." Lord Harry told them with a mournful look in his eye at having to break up their happy moment. The two sisters suddenly realised what it had to be.

"Robb." They said at the same time and horror started to fill them as they dearly hoped they were wrong but Lord Harry confirmed their worst fears and more.

"Yes Robb and your mother." He said sadly, hating himself for having to do this to them but they had to know and hiding it from them would only make it hurt later. "They were betrayed by the Freys and Boltons at your uncle's wedding on the orders of Tywin Lannister, they have stolen Winterfell and Riverrun and now rule your family's lands."

Sansa could barely comprehend what she was being told, her earlier mood of feeling so free and happy evaporating like water as she learned that she would never see her brother or mother again, that they had been killed in the most cowardly of ambushes and their home was now in the hands of their enemies.

Her look of devastation was heartbreaking to see and Arya was just as shocked and horrified, Harry wanted to comfort them but he did not know what to say, nothing would make this feel better so he told them instead.

"I did however manage to save someone else." Harry said and opened the closet of his room, a large wolf appeared out of it confused and now wearing the same collar that he had fashioned for Nymeria to keep cool in the hot islands. The dark grey and white wolf sniffed around not sure where he was until he caught three familiar scents and whined.

"Greywind." Sansa said and got up to step closer to the enormous direwolf, followed by Arya. Nymeria had no hesitation and rubbed her big and fluffy head against her larger brother in an attempt to comfort him. Sansa knelt down in front of Greywind who seemed to sense her sorrow and he tried to comfort her by rubbing his head against her cheek, her tears still running down her face Sansa hugged the wolf.

Harry watched and could feel the beginnings of a new bond forming between Greywind and Sansa, he mused that she had lost her wolf and Greywind had lost his human as perfect a reason as was possible in this world he thought sadly.

Rhaenys herself felt her heart going out to the two girls, she had known the pain they were going through herself and knew they needed to know that they were not alone and that they were safe, so she stepped forward and put a hand on each girl's shoulder and said.

"I know this pain, I have felt it everyday since my family was murdered on the orders of the same man that destroyed yours. I learnt my mother and little brother had been slaughtered on his orders and he was not even man enough to do the deed himself and I will not let you go through this alone."

Sansa and Arya were angry at being told by someone that understood but at the same time confused at who she could possibly be that would warrant such actions from Tywin, Arya asked her suspiciously.

"Who are you?"

Rhaenys shared a look with Harry before she answered.

"I am Rhaenys Targaryen, daughter of Elia and Rhaegar."

Both Arya and Sansa were stunned to say the least but Harry did not let them stay that way for long.

"I want you both to spend time with each other as you come to terms with this, no one should have to go through something like this alone. When you are ready we will discuss the restoration of House Stark. I have gained the assistance of the remaining Stark loyalists in both the Riverlands and the North and a plan to regain Riverrun is already underway. Tywin thinks he has won, that he has masterfully brought the war to an end but he has no idea our little alliance exists and that will be his downfall. He will soon learn that the more he stabs people in the back, the more he needs to watch his own." Harry said with a vicious look in his eyes.

* * *

 _That is the latest chapter and it was a hard one to write, I thought about not letting the Red Wedding happen but Robb Stark's honour and integrity were no match for Tywin Lannister's ruthlessness and although Robb never slighted the Freys they were too greedy to resist Tywin's offer. But this time the Old Lion miscalculated, he created a far more dangerous enemy for himself and one far better armed to deal with him. The North Remembers and so does Harry and Rhaenys._

 _ **Next Chapter**_ _– Daenerys continues her efforts in Astapor, Jaime meets with his father and Harry puts his own plans into motion._


	25. Chapter 25 Joining the Game

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _Thank you all for sticking with me, I have been busy and it was hard to write but I have a long update to make up for it._

 _This chapter features a quote from Ned Stark that I know I have gotten wrong but it is the best I can do. Also in sections Harry will be addressed as Lord Tyrell._

 **Chapter 25 – Joining the Game**

 _ **Highpoint, the North…**_

Situated on the top of a large hill Highpoint had a superb view of the surrounding area which added to its considerable defences, being made of stone rather than wood was another factor in its favour and made the seat of House Whitehill a strong and safe haven under normal circumstances.

But this was not normal circumstances.

When word had reached Harry that the Whitehills were going to move on Ironrath, the home to House Forrester and one of the few houses to stay true to the Starks he had decided to act and make his allies stronger in the process.

Disguised in his cloak and with a notice me not charm layered into it he sneaked his way through the open gates of the castle and into the keep. Unlike many northern castles it was full of icons to the Seven and decoration that most Northern families would have found to be wasteful and pointless but Harry gave that no thought as he searched for his prey, finding them in the main hall.

Standing around a table in the main hall covered with maps was Lord Ludd Whitehill himself, his two sons Torrhen and Gryff and their vicious master at arms Harys. There were three guards around the room but that did not worry Harry as he quietly put sticking and silencing charms around the room while the others were too focused on planning for their attack on Ironrath.

Once the rest of the doors and windows to the room where sealed and made soundproof Harry finally shut the main door and sealed it with magic to prevent escape. The sound alerted the Whitehills to his presence who all looked around to face him.

"Who the fuck are you?" Ludd asked angry that someone had dared enter his meeting without permission, Harry under his cloak as he drew _Orphanmaker_ and _Blackfyre_ alarming the men in the room just said with a smirk.

"The North Remembers."

It only dawned on the men in the room what was about to happen when Harry slashed at the throat of their guard and then impaled another through the belly, ripping his now bloody swords out before advancing on the Whitehills.

Ludd was the first he killed, crying out for his men to intervene Harry silenced him forever by jabbing his sword straight through the man's mouth and out through the back, killing him instantly. Harys was next as he drew his sword and fought like an animal to avenge his lord but Harry easily parried his wild strikes and ending him by first cutting his hand off and then taking his head.

The final guard charged in and Harry did not even need to move as he tripped on his lord's corpse and fell, Harry just stabbed him in the back without a second thought and looked over to the last two men in the room. Torrhen and Gryff were hammering on the door, desperate to get the attention of their guards outside, surely they must hear their cries for aid but no response came as Harry smirked and walked up to them. They caught sight of it and begged him for mercy but Harry would show none as he stabbed them both through the belly and torn his swords out roughly, spilling their guts on the floor and stepped away leaving the two men to fall to their knees and bleed to death on the floor before going over to the corpse of Ludd Whitehill and wiping his swords clean of blood with the man's cloak.

Harry looked around the corpses as he sheathed his swords, he did not allow himself to feel pride or any such emotion as killing was something he never wanted to relish. This was business and he re-donned his hood and reapplied the charm before cancelling the magic that sealed the room and walked out through the corridors of Highpoint till he entered the family quarters. Ignoring most of the rooms he went to find the last surviving Whitehill that meant a damn, the daughter Gwyn. There only other was the second son Ebbert who was currently at the Citadel, if the boy interfered in their plans he would be dealt with but the girl was the one he was interested in now. He stunned her and picked the admittedly pretty Gwyn up in his arms and apparated them out of Highpoint to the tree were Storm his horse was tied up and put the still unconscious girl over his saddle before getting on himself riding towards Ironrath.

 **-x-**

Surrounded by tall and strong Ironwood trees and hills it would be hard to assault a castle like Ironrath Harry decided, limited passage ways though the mountains, hills and forests would make it far easier to delay or whittle down an enemy and that was before they got to the strong walls of the castle. All in all Harry was impressed by it given its smaller size.

"Halt! Who goes there?" A patrol called out carrying the banner of House Forrester aloft, the leader of the patrol Harry noticed had a similar look to Rodrik Forrester albeit with slightly lighter coloured hair. The man then saw the unconscious Gwyn on his saddle and with a look of alarm and worry drew his sword. "Unhand Gwyn now!"

So this must be Asher Forrester Harry thought, the formerly exiled lover of Gwyn Whitehill. Harry smiled despite being surrounded by Forrester men and woke the sleeping Gwyn, careful to let her down into the snow gently.

"Where?" Gwyn asked still not sure where she was, last she could remember was falling asleep in her room and then she saw a man that made her heart race, one she had never expected to see again. "Asher." Her breath caught in her throat and he was likewise stunned to see her. Harry though as touching as the scene was had things to say.

"Your father and brothers committed a vile atrocity Gwyn Whitehill." Harry said making sure to distort his voice so he wouldn't be recognised later. "The gods promised retribution and it has been served on them, you are now the last Whitehill. The Lady of Highpoint." He said not sparing her any punches which made the girl gasp in horror. "But since you are innocent of their crimes you will be spared their punishment as long as you abandon the path they took and find a better one, the love of your life now stands there for you and nothing more blocks your way. Wed him and become a Forrester and end the bloodshed once and for all." Harry said pointing to Asher which made Gwyn blush a little before to make them think he was a messenger of the gods, Harry apparated away with Storm with a conscious effort to make a louder and more dramatic thunder clap like sound rather than a pop.

Gwyn, Asher and the other Forrester men all looked in shock at where the mysterious man had disappeared for a moment until Asher realised Gwyn was not properly dressed for the cold and was shivering, he dismounted and wrapped her in his cloak the act of which seemed almost providential and she blushed as he touched her, especially when he pulled her onto his horse and wrapped his arms around her before they returned to Ironrath.

* * *

 _ **The Twins, the Riverlands…**_

What a fucking mess.

Lord Walder Frey thought those exact words when looking at the ruins of the castles that had been his home and the missing sections of the bridge from which they had made their living, not to mention the gold he could have used for repairs had vanished during the mysterious fire the night of the Red Wedding.

His anger and irritation at the theft which he put down to his dimwitted sons as the Stark and Tully men where too busy trying to save their own necks to steal from him, unfortunately he had no idea which ones of his useless brood was responsible as they had been in chaos after that voice had sounded, running like headless bloody chickens. He had been at the head of those running away but he refused to acknowledge that to anyone. His home however was still a ruin and would need to be repaired, he would he decided make his new vassals to do the work and send men and resources to rebuild the Twins or be destroyed a nasty smirk crossing his face as he relished in being the new Lord of the Riverlands. The fact that he had managed to get his daughter wed to Roose Bolton and his future grandson would rule Winterfell and the North as well only seemed like the crowning achievement.

His pride swelling and his self importance rising he had no concept of how much this would make his 'vassals' hate him or that they might compromise his castles' defences never crossing his mind, showing why to many who would later say that House Frey was always dirt that got above themselves and that was what they returned to when finally justice for their actions came.

 **-x-**

 _ **Unknown Location, the Riverlands…**_

Brynden watched with enormous grief as the raft that carried his niece, his great-nephew and Robb's wife burned in the middle of the river and eventually sank to the bottom. He knew that Robb should have been interred with the rest of the Starks under Winterfell but that was not possible and since the boy had been a Tully as well as a Stark he had laid them all to rest in his people's traditional manner and for that at least he was grateful to the Tyrell that had returned their bodies to him. At his side Ser Raynald Westerling watched with sad eyes that made the young man look far older than he was as his sister sank to the bottom of the river.

"They should be together, she loved him and he her such a thing is too precious to break." Raynald said when asked if he wanted to take his sister's body. She would he knew have wanted to be buried with her husband.

Brynden looked to Raynald and asked him once the boat had sank beneath the water.

"What will you do now?" He asked the gallant young man that was living proof that children did not have to take after their parents, he had chosen to be loyal and brave while his mother had been deceitful and scheming. Raynald turned to face him and the young man said.

"I will return home and try to make a tie with Houses Crakehall, Farman and Kayce. Like me they have reason to hate the Lannisters and then there is the matter of my mother." He said his eyes hardening. "She must pay for her crimes."

"Careful of that path boy, it can take you down to places you might not want to go." Brynden said even in his own grief he was worried for the young man at his side after all even if she had been a plotter in the Red Wedding she was still Raynald's mother. Raynald shook his head before saying.

"I won't kill her but I will make sure she suffers for this...treason." He said his eyes dark as he walked for his horse before turning around and giving a bow to Brynden. "I wish you the best of luck in your efforts Ser Brynden Tully and although I doubt we will, I hope we meet again."

"As do I." Brynden said as he got on his own horse, both men looked back towards the river where the boat had now completely disappeared. They were both silent as they felt their own grief and pain spike hard inside them before going their separate ways.

 **-x-**

The small camp of Ser Brynden Tully was growing larger by the day as more men joined his quest to retake Riverrun, the money and supplies from Harry Tyrell were certainly helping speed things up but he had hit a bit of a wall. Most of the men that were joining his cause where not trained or experienced fighters and it was very hard for him to recruit, train and plan their strategy all at the same time. He could not use any of his previous allies as if discovered their secret alliance might be compromised and all were currently being watched, as he looked down at the maps he felt weary as his age started to tell.

"My lord." One of his men said as he entered the tent, he looked up annoyed at being interrupted but bit his tongue and asked.

"Yes what is it?"

"Our scouts are reporting a group of Frey soldiers are harassing men on the road, they are lightly armed and their camp is ill defended."

Brynden stopped what he was doing and immediately grabbed his sword.

"We ride for the road and deal with them there, hopefully it will get the men some practice." Brynden said to his man who went off to get their soldiers ready, since they had not been discovered by the Freys yet it was unlikely to be a trap and this would get the men some experience in fighting.

 **-x-**

A short while later they came across the Frey soldiers who were demanding excessive tolls on the Kings Road and they were indeed harassing men on the road, not very successfully he noticed as they seemed to be having their arses kicked by a single but very large man. Brynden could not see him clearly but he did notice the archers about to shoot the large man in the back, without hesitating he and his more experienced archers notched their bows and fired their arrows hitting the Frey archers with the large man turning to see the danger that had nearly ended his life. Brynden seeing now all the Freys were dead stowed his bow and walked forward only to stop when he got close enough to see the disfigured face that he had seen only at the side of Joffrey Waters...the Hound Sandor Clegane. His hand went for his sword and shouted.

"Getting in trouble Clegane? The Lannisters have put one hell of a bounty on your head after you deserted at Blackwater." Brynden shouted, he was impressed at how well the Hound fought but the man had served the Lannisters and killed on the command of the vicious bastard who claimed to be a king. The Hound only glared back before sheathing his sword at the sight of Tully archers who had lined up on him.

"I wasn't going to fight for those fuckers any more and all I want to do is get as far away from them as possible, so piss off." The Hound said and looked around to see his horse had been killed in the fighting, he spat on the Freys corpses and Brynden while not sure he could trust Clegane could see his hatred of his old employers was genuine, he sensed an opportunity and went for it.

"I can give you a place to hide until you can leave." Brynden said and his men looked at him in surprise and disbelief that he would offer Clegane shelter.

Clegane himself was surprised but suspicious and asked.

"What do you want from me?"

"Your skill at arms to teach my men to fight while I plan and recruit, do that and you have a safe place to hide and some gold to aid your passage elsewhere." Brynden said and his men looked terrified at having to learn from a Clegane even if it was the supposedly nicer one, Sandor himself wanted to get back on the road but he had no gold to pay for a ship or a horse to carry him away and he knew that the Blackfish had more reason to hate the Lannisters than he did and could not give him away without revealing himself.

Fuck it Sandor thought, it would at least let him get the gold he needed to get out of Westeros.

"Fine, you've got yourself a deal."

* * *

 _ **Bloodstone, the Stepstones…**_

Arya was just staring out at the sea from her bedroom window, her gaze unfocused as she tried to deal with knowledge that her mother and her last brother was dead and her home had been stolen by her house's own vassal in such a cowardly ambush. They had not even had the decency to face them on the battlefield and instead stabbed them up under the guest rite, it made her so mad that she wanted to scream and rage but she did not. Instead she looked in to ways to kill and torture her enemies till they understood a modicum of the pain she and her sister felt right now. Her thoughts then turned to Sansa who was sitting on the window seat like her and staring out across the ocean just like she was.

"Here we are, so far from home and all I want is to go back there when I used to dream of leaving it for more glamorous places." Sansa said her voice bitter and depressed, all pretence of being a well born lady abandoned as she and her sister sat there brooding.

"Me too." Arya said in the same bitter and depressed voice, she had dreamed of a life of travel and adventure but all that seemed so hollow now...a childish dream she had outgrown, now all she wanted like her sister was to go home.

"It took so long for me to find my spine, to actually appreciate what we had and to realise just who they were and to stand up to Cersei and Joffrey. All that time wasted." Sansa said wishing she could go back and undo her mistakes, Arya actually gave a small smile having heard about her sister's defiance from Lady Zara.

"I wish I could have seen that."

Sansa managed to give Arya a small smile of her own but it did not last.

"I was horrible to you." Sansa said sounding as guilty as she felt, she had never treated Arya as anything other than a thing to be ashamed of, never as a sister that she loved or treasured in anyway. It was Arya' turn to look away as she admitted.

"So was I, we never treated each other with any respect or kindness did we?" Arya asked not sure if she had ever really given Sansa any consideration before Kings Landing...before father had died.

"No...we didn't." Sansa said sadly. "I never spoke up for you when Jeyne or the others made horrid jokes about you and even joined in their laughter." She did not even mention when she had not spoken for her sister when Joffrey had been bitten by Nymeria.

"It doesn't matter now." Arya said sounding far older than her thirteen years. "We are all we have now and fighting will only aid our enemy, as father used to say 'the lone wolf might die but the pack survives' and our pack WILL SURVIVE." Arya said putting emphasis on the last two words and a smile appeared on Sansa's face. They reached for each others hand and grasped it tight, forging a stronger bond that they would need in the days ahead.

 **-x-**

 _ **The Red Keep, Kings Landing…**_

The sight of the castle that had been his home for more years of his life than he cared to count did nothing to make Jaime Lannister feel any better for what had happened in the Riverlands, it was a den of corruption and power hungry schemers. What else was there to say?

He was still dirty from the road as he and Brienne rode into Kings Landing but people still recognised him as he rode past, some did look on him with admiration but many did so with hatred and whispers of Kingslayer and of the Red Wedding followed him all the way to the Red Keep. He ignored them however much he hated to hear more of it given how it dominated his thoughts all the way here and instead dismounted his horse. Leaving it with an unfamiliar stable-boy he accompanied by Brienne walked to the throne room where his eyes narrowed at the sight of his uncle Kevan and Ser Addam Marbrand, his uncle and a man he had long considered a friend and honestly the familiar throne room made him feel sick. So much that he actually left without being seen or saying a word and instead went to the Tower of the Hand. Climbing the stairs he made himself comfortable and poured himself some wine, he offered a goblet to Brienne but she refused, he took a sip and was grateful for its bitter taste as they waited for his father to return.

It took a surprisingly long time for his father to return to his lair but when Tywin saw him sitting there all he did was raise an eyebrow.

"Is this some attempt to be dramatic?" Tywin asked in his usual cold and stern voice that once had reduced Jaime to a scared child but now had lost its effect so Jaime just stared back for a moment before answering.

"If I wanted to be dramatic I would have sat at your desk rather than take the comfortable chair at the window, I have no taste for your games." Jaime said equally cold and realised to his own discomfort that the beard he had grown in his captivity actually made him look more like his father which only increased his resolve to shave as soon as possible.

"Clearly, otherwise you would have been my heir still and actually never embarrassed House Lannister by being captured." Tywin said which only irritated Jaime who snapped back.

"As opposed to valuing the lives of our men and actually standing for something other than my own ambition or desires you mean? You've built a house on sand and now it is crumbling around you, the hatred of the people towards the Lannisters and the Westerlands is so high that plots are being hatched in every corner and it only takes one to destroy everything you've created." Jaime said with a sardonic tone that sounded very much like something Tyrion would say which made Tywin blink. He stood still as Jaime came over to him, now standing as tall as him and looking him straight in the eye.

Tywin was surprised at that, before he had always seemed taller than his eldest son but now Jaime stood level with him and his glare was unflinching, not unlike one of his own.

Until Jaime punched him in the stomach.

The blow was so hard and unexpected that Tywin had no time to prepare himself as he had the air knocked right out him, nor for the second punch that knocked him to the ground. He looked up and saw Jaime standing tall above him with a gaze as hard as diamonds and tense with fury.

"I have never been ashamed of being a Lannister as much as I am now after what I saw at the Twins. Tywin Lannister, the man that can never win a war without vast numbers or cheating and now this! You think yourself a lion but really you are so small inside but know this, I am my own man, my time away has taught me that and I will guard my king but more I will not let myself be ruled by his whims like before or yours. Now I have to find my armour."

Jaime took one last chance to glare at his father before leaving the room with Brienne who looked stunned at the display but followed Jaime all the same, he found it was exactly as he had left it which made him laugh bitterly. His spare armour still there and he honestly hated it more now than he ever had before, but he resolved to himself he had his duty to protect the king from the realm and his own personal objective to protect the realm from the king.

He then realised Brienne had followed him into the room and what happened next honestly was a mystery to both of them as neither had even thought about it up to that moment...maybe they had not really needed it till then but Jaime pulled Brienne into a kiss which she reciprocated and things became heated as the door swung shut.

 **-x-**

Tywin massaged his jaw with a cold compress to reduce the swelling and stared at the door, not sure what man had come in here and hit him that looked so much like his son.

Jaime had never stood up to him like that before and certainly had never hit him, if it had been anyone but his own child they would have been dead before the next sunrise but oddly Tywin felt pride too as much as anger. His son had finally done what he had asked when he had given him the army to attack Riverrun, he had become the man he was always meant to be. He was still angry at the shit for hitting him like that but he was glad that at least one child of his had become someone he could be proud of.

* * *

 _ **Bloodstone, the Stepstones...**_

Hours later Arya was back in the training yard with _Needle_ and a dagger in hand as she fought against Syrio and Jaqen in a spar.

She was grateful for her slimmer frame as she ducked and weaved under their sword and staff respectively and lunged in for quick and precise strikes, never managing to hit either of her teachers due to their greater experience but doing far better than she had months ago.

She needed this, that was the thought that ran across her mind.

It was the only way she could quell the rage that was building up inside her.

Her talks with Sansa and Lady Rhaenys helped but it was not enough to stop her sneaking aboard a ship and heading for the capital to kill all the Lannisters, she had to find an outlet for her anger and sparring was the only thing she had found that worked.

"Good boy." Syrio said with a beaming smile, while he still called her a boy she had no idea especially as her body had started to blossom but she accepted it as a term of endearment. "There is little more I can teach you although I have to admit I have grown fond of the heat and sights here." Syrio told her, his eyes roaming to one of the maids who blew him a kiss. It was enough to make Arya's eyes roll.

"Indeed, a girl is ready." Jaqen said with his eternally calm face and Arya smiled, compliments were few and far between with her teachers and when they gave one you knew they meant it.

"Then the time has come for her to join us proper." A voice sounded from the side and all three of them turned to see Lord Tyrell enter the courtyard, they all bowed and Harry returned it before turning to her and said. "If your teachers are happy with it then I have a mission for you." He said beckoning her to follow him and excitement ran through her as she did so, finally she thought was it time to avenge her family? To actually put her skills that she had been training in for a year to use and strike back for her family? She could only hope so.

They soon entered Lord Tyrell's solar and sat down at his desk, Lord Tyrell looked tired but given all the travelling he did she could understand that so when he spoke she listened.

"Well developments in the North have favoured your house as the Whitehills have been eliminated and all their men now serve House Forrester who have renewed the vow to help you but that is not what I mean to talk about today." Lord Tyrell told her without expression, she likewise did not smile having learned from Lady Olenna's letters to mask her feelings. "The wedding of Joffrey Waters and...my sister." He said grounding out the last two words with great annoyance that she did not blame him for, she had hated it when her sister had been betrothed to that bastard so she knew that feeling well. "Has provided us with an opportunity to strike at the heart of House Lannister, Tywin and all his family will be there and so if you are willing, I have three targets for you."

"Who?" She asked eagerly, her mask slipping slightly before she forced herself to calm down and reasserted it.

"Joffrey Waters, Tywin Lannister and Petyr Baelish. That is already ambitious and I have no intention of risking your safety any more." Lord Tyrell said sternly making her frown that she could not go after Cersei as well but the chance to kill the architects of the Red Wedding more than made up for it. "Your cover will be as a new maid in the castle that I will arrange, I can provide the means to get you in and make sure you are on the list to serve at the wedding but the rest will be up to you. You will wear a portkey and your disguise at all times and have to live as if you were a serving girl all that time. Understood?" He asked her with an intense gaze that nearly made her falter but she only nodded and said.

"Understood."

Lord Tyrell looked at her with a probing gaze as if he doubted her but nodded slowly just as she was becoming slightly nervous.

"While I have had a special sword made for you, a long sword designed for a woman's hand this is the weapon you will be using for this mission." He said and the news that a sword had been made specially for her made enough to make her a little excited and was surprised to see Lord Tyrell hold up a glass vial containing some kind of clear liquid.

"What is it?" She asked getting that it was some kind of poison but could not identify this one by sight.

"Something I picked up on my travels, it is called Valyria's Torment." Lord Tyrell said with a smirk. "It was used as a punishment for traitors in the days of the Freehold, it can take up to seven days to kill but during that time they will experience pain unlike anything they have experienced before...pure uninhibited agony and while there is an antidote they will never get it. Even the maesters don't know about this." Lord Tyrell told her and Arya stared at the liquid with disbelief but slowly she started smiling liking the idea of inflicting such a punishment on Joffrey and his grandfather not to mention Petyr Baelish. Lord Tyrell nodded and put the vial away and said one more thing to her.

"Practice your disguise, when we enter the Red Keep there will be no margin for error and if you are caught getting you out could be...difficult so if there is a danger of you being discovered we stop and reassess. Understood?" Lord Tyrell said firmly and Arya was not sure that if she started this that she could stop but nodded in agreement, as Lady Olenna had told her there was no sense in dying for blind revenge.

 **-x-**

Sansa had been worried when Maester Alwyn had excitedly looked through Visenya's journal and taken it away, only his promise that he was merely going to copy it and then return it too her and the fact she knew where he lived stopped her from retrieving it now. Anger bubbling up inside her as something else was taken from her however silly it might have been, only the sight of Greywind sitting nearby made her feel better.

So she distracted herself from those feelings by dressing herself in unfamiliar leathers, even breeches which were strange to a girl that had only ever worn skirts all her life but now were oddly comfortable and started training in something that would have horrified her mother, learning to use the bow.

She drew back the bow string and let the arrow fly, much to her frustration the arrow did not even reach the target. A small pile arrows showed how little progress she had made with learning to use the bow, she threw the bow on the ground with a cry of frustration.

"Let yourself get that carried away then you will get nowhere fast, pick it up." Lady Rhaenys said from the side, appearing suddenly and nearly making Sansa jump had she not been so irritated.

"I can't do it, this is a waste of time." Sansa said her face going red with anger, forgetting for a moment that she was talking to her host and her only real ally at the moment. When that thought occurred to her she went from angry to horrified in a split second. "Please forgive me Lady Rhaenys I did not mean to be rude." Lady Rhaenys however just nodded and said.

"Sansa do not worry, you are trying to learn something new at the same time your grieving. Your mind is not focused so perhaps you need to spend sometime grieving before you try this again." Rhaenys sad kindly, the girl's head was not in the right place right now and she needed to get herself together before trying to learn something like archery. Sansa however looked annoyed again as she reached down and grabbed the bow.

"No I have to learn this, I have to." She said and notched another arrow before stopping when Rhaenys took a bow from the rack herself and drew an arrow.

"You are just as stubborn as your sister." Rhaenys said with a smile that made Sansa feel embarrassed. "Here let me help you." She said. "Hold you arm straight and don't worry about the cord snapping, pull back as far as can." She said demonstrating for Sansa who copied her actions and then both let their arrows loose, while it did not go into the centre of the target like Rhaenys' did this time in stuck in target's outer edges. Sansa suddenly felt this elation that she had not felt since standing up to Joffrey and Rhaenys smiled too. "See you can do it, practice and patience are all you need to become good at anything. Raw talent can help but unless you work at it, it does not mean a thing." Rhaenys said trying to encourage the girl that was in many ways the same yet different to Arya. She was glad the journal of Visenya had given her some lessons in power but there were still things she had to learn, skills and knowledge that would help her become the Lady of Winterfell.

"Dear niece! You grow more beautiful every passing day!" A loud voice called out and Sansa saw a man with a similar look to Lady...no Princess Rhaenys she corrected herself enter the courtyard. His eyes were dark and his face pointed but still he was handsome Sansa thought with a blush, especially as he stared at her developing figure and gave her a wink.

"Uncle! It was bad enough when you seduced Caelys I will not have you seduce my wards as well." Rhaenys told him which alerted Sansa to the fact that this must be Prince Oberyn Martell, the Red Viper. Minding her manners Sansa gave a curtsey and said.

"It is an honour to meet you Prince Oberyn."

"It certainly is an honour to meet a Winter rose as beautiful as you Lady Sansa." Oberyn said pressing a kiss to her hand which made Sansa blush worse and Rhaenys gave him a slight punch on the arm.

"Behave!" Rhaenys reminded him fiercely, a tear running down Oberyn's face as he remembered her mother saying the same thing in the same tone of voice many times before. He however then called a beautiful dornish woman over and introduced her to Sansa.

"This is my paramour and mother to most of my children Ellaria Sand." Prince Oberyn said, Ellaria taking a long look at Sansa and placed a kiss on each of her cheeks which lingered a moment longer than was normal which made Rhaenys sigh and roll her eyes in resignation. She would have too keep an eye on the pair of them.

A cry of rage broke the quiet and got all of them to look back to the keep where Maester Alwyn rushed out and said a bit breathlessly.

"Lord Tyrell requires all of you meet him in the main hall, an urgent situation has arisen which has him...upset a bit." Alwyn said looking a bit scared for a moment which instantly got them all worried, what could the possibly have happened that would cause such a reaction?

 **-x-**

Harry used the emergency message coins (an idea he had pinched from his alternate self's Hermione) and portkeys to summon his inner circle who all popped into existence all around the room with confused looks as he paced around the hall, waiting for everyone to arrive. Kanoro and those that were on the island followed slowly behind until his 'inner circle' had assembled in the room.

Rhaenys, Alys, Zara, Myria, Kanoro. Jothos, Aeron, Caelys, Daena, Gunthor and Alwyn. Accompanied by Oberyn, Ellaria, Sansa and Arya.

Harry was pacing around the room with a crumbled letter in his hand and his rage building with nearly every step, everyone even those that had known him best or longest had never seen him like this. Rhaenys now worried came up to him and asked.

"Harry. What is it? What's happened?" She was not sure what could get him this angry unless she had been exposed and that would make him more worried than angry. So he managed to get a hold of himself briefly as he stopped and straightened out the letter and read aloud its contents in a stern and cold voice.

" _To Lord Harry Tyrell of Bloodstone,_

 _Due to your impressive accomplishments in the recent war with the Iron Born his grace King Joffrey has named you to lead the invasion of Dragonstone, to eliminate the false king Stannis Baratheon and you are required by the crown to attend his grace immediately._

 _Also with the recent betrothal of your sister Lady Margaery the crown is in need of a new Valyrian steel sword to replace the missing Dragon's Bane, you are hear-by ordered on behalf of the crown to present a new blade to his grace the king before his wedding to your sister in a few moons time._

 _Lastly in recognition of your service thus far to the crown it has been arranged by your Lord Father that your eldest son Jasen Tyrell will be fostered at the Red Keep to forge a stronger union between the Tyrells and the crown, he is expected immediately to be squire and cup-bearer to his grace upon his arrival._

 _In service of his majesty,_

 _Tywin Lannister, Hand of the King, Lord Paramount of the Westerlands and Warden of the West."_

The room was silent as the words were absorbed, no one could quite believe what they had just heard. Rhaenys actually pulled the letter free of her husband's hand and read it herself before the terrible reality sank in and she could only scream in rage herself.

"SON OF A BITCH! I'LL KILL THEM BOTH MYSELF!" Oberyn said in fury as he too knew well what was going on.

"They want our son as a hostage to ensure our good behaviour and no doubt they want me to lead the attack on Dragonstone in the hopes I'll die so they control the islands through him too!" Harry said in anger, his hatred of not only the Lannisters but his own father rising to heights he had not imagined possible. Rhaenys looked ready to hop on her dragon's back and burn Kings Landing to the ground by herself until Harry pulled her into a hug which she returned.

"Mace Tyrell would give his own grandson up as a hostage to Joffrey and Cersei!" Sansa said horrified at the idea of the sweet and brave young boy she had seen given to that vicious pair of monsters. She had experienced that herself and would not wish such treatment on anyone, Arya likewise had difficulty believing that a grandfather would do that to his own son's son. They had come from a house that honoured family over all else so it was unthinkable to them.

"He sees him as a bastard that is worthless or a shame to be gotten rid of." Rhaenys snapped at the pair making them back away a step at her fierce temper. "He is far to blind and stupid to even think of the future, that he is giving the future heir to Highgarden and Bloodstone to the Lannisters! He is so fucking moronic that he doesn't even realise what his vassals will think of this or that Loras will never produce an 'acceptable heir'." Rhaenys said with air quotes as she took a plate from the nearby table and threw it hard across the room, making it shatter into pieces.

"If it is a royal command then going against it would be treason." Gunthor reminded them urgently, he could understand their plight and was genuinely angry about this himself, his family and the rest of the Reach nobles would too given it would mean Tywin and the Lannisters effectively held the future of the Reach in their slimy grasp.

"Which leaves us only one option doesn't it." Harry said bluntly.

"Open rebellion against the Lannisters and your own family." Jothos said now growing very worried at the direction this conversation was taking.

"They are not my family any more." Harry said surprising them all especially with how darkly he said it, so calm and yet so cold. "If they stand with the Lannisters then they are my enemy and I will destroy them to protect my real family."

"They are still your blood." Kanoro reminded him, Harry however angry he was did listen to his friend's counsel and amended his statement.

"We will do anything we can to break this pathetic alliance up, it will give them one last chance." Harry said coldly no expecting them to do so, they were so desperate for power they would sell their souls. "It is not customary to start fostering until around the age of eight or nine so we will play for time to get everything in place for when we strike. Every alliance and supporter they have must be destroyed, the Lannisters must be alone before we destroy them."

His voice made all of them shudder so he turned to Sansa and Arya who looked scared for a moment of their host before he spoke to them.

"We will have to accelerate plans to reclaim the North and Riverlands from the Boltons and the Freys, I hope you two have had some ideas." He said looking at them questioningly and Arya being the bolder of the two managed to speak.

"Well we know that the Boltons only have the Karstarks because of Harald, his brother Torrhen is still alive and being held at Brownhollow near where he was captured. Since he is the older brother if we free him he could bring his family's men to our cause." Arya was glad to see him nod as so far it was hard to make any more plans without current information on the state of the North.

"I will see it done, we might as well use House Tyrell's influence while we can so hopefully he should be here within a month or so. Bare in mind girls unless you want the North thinking you are my puppets you will have to win the North back by yourselves. If I give you men your rule will be troubled and likely short." He warned them, he wasn't lying about that given how the North looked down on the South if they were publicly backed by him they would be looked on as weak and easy to control.

Neither was good for ruling.

They nodded and Harry took a calming breath as he suddenly felt very tired, all of this was happening way too fast after such a busy few years and he had really hoped that they would have some peace before they had to dive back into the chaos. Rhaenys saw his exhaustion and took over the meeting while he sat down to gather his wits.

"If we are going to have to fight the Lannisters then we will need not only the dragons but more allies." Rhaenys said with feelings of anticipation spreading across her entire being, she honestly did not know where this path was leading but she could guess and really hoped they could avoid...that a chair of metal looming in her mind like a nightmare, her hand going to her growing belly and thinking of her children.

"Dorne will stand with you of course." Oberyn said his own smile now restored as he saw his niece taking charge and planning to destroy their enemies.

"As will the Stormlands, the lords there will follow were the Swanns lead and they are with us." Alys said alongside Zara.

"The North and the Riverlands will side with you too once they are free." Sansa promised, whether or not they could provide any meaningful support given all that had happened was uncertain but at least they would do what they could Sansa vowed to herself, Arya nodded in agreement.

"But still leaves the Vale, the Crownlands and Reach to consider." Jothos said with worry on his face as like Rhaenys and Harry he could see where this path might lead.

"The Coastal Houses have not forgotten all that Harry did for them in the war against the Iron Born." Gunthor said adding his own opinion. "You fought for them when Renly and Mace Tyrell left them to fend for themselves and they will fight for you."

"So we focus on the Vale which is why we have to eliminate Baelish, without him Lysa will lose her mind and the Vale lords will take over the Regency. They have no love for the Lannisters after the Red Wedding due to breaking the Guest rite and many had sympathies towards the Starks." Rhaenys reasoned with a calculating look in her eye.

"As for the Crownlords most of them are worthless, they joined the Lannisters the first sign they were going to win and would betray us in a heartbeat. All the allies we have from there and the Narrow Sea right now are all we can expect." Zara added with confidence, although they did not have as many kingdoms or houses behind them as they would have liked they had enough especially with the dragons to take Westeros.

"I will go to Kings Landing in the meantime to set Arya's mission into motion and do everything I can to break up this alliance." Harry said getting up from his chair and Arya looked briefly excited before she calmed herself and nodded. "And I will lead the assault on Dragonstone but I will play it my way not theirs, it will hopefully allow us to eliminate Stannis as a threat and make sure the Lannisters are put off guard if he's dead." Harry said to reassure them when they looked at him with concern at him going into the lion's den.

With a loose plan in place they dispersed to carry on with their individual lives and responsibilities, Harry however stayed sitting in his chair while Kanoro and Gunthor looked at their friend with concern as he rested his head in his hands, depression and anxiety welling up inside him.

"I never wanted to rule, all I wanted was to travel." Harry said through his hands as he realised they were still there. "Now here we are, playing political games that could affect the lives of millions of people for decades or even centuries to come and not only that but the welfare of all of you and my children hanging constantly in the balance. I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to leave." He said pulling his hands away, neither of them had signed up for any of this and he wanted to at least give them the option to pull out now while they had the chance. Both of them looked surprised at him and Kanoro said with a sad smile.

"I have never known you to be one to run away from responsibility, you take care of those closest too you. You do the right thing for the many regardless of how much you might hate it." Kanoro reasoned. "I have my freedom because of you my sons will never know what it means to live in chains thanks to your decision to help, so does every person in these islands and they live a good life, so do the ones in the Reach or elsewhere that you have touched. Now will you and Rhaenys do the right thing for the country?"

His probing gaze pricked at Harry's conscience and made him feel guilty for trying to avoid taking the Lannisters on properly until now. Avoiding the fact they could stop them any time they wanted but the cost of it was so high for not only him but Rhaenys and their children.

"If we take the throne we would be chained to it forever and not just us but our children and possibly their children, do I want Jasen to have to move from the only home he has ever known to rule over a continent? Or our other children? To deal with all the backstabbing and lying and cheating that rat's hole of a city is known for?" Harry asked both his best friends who looked sympathy at his concerns. "I have never wanted to rule, never wanted to have the weight of that hanging over us all."

"Which is why you should take it." Gunthor said surprising Harry. "You would not see a throne for the boons it gives you but the responsibilities that come with it, the Iron Throne has not seen a true king like that in so long. You and Rhaenys might be just what this country needs."

Rhaenys meanwhile found herself alone with Caelys who just hugged her as she sensed her inner struggle.

"I can't be queen! I can't." Rhaenys said into her shoulder with a strangled whisper, her fear of her family's legacy foremost in her mind. It had taken so long for her to learn to see past her hatred of her father and grandfather and respect what her father's family had achieved good or bad but now it seemed like it was wrapping itself like a snake around not only her but her family and squeezing the life out of them or a strong tide that was sweeping her away from safety and into the dark abyss beyond.

"Maybe instead of running from your legacy you should make it yours." Caelys whispered in her ear with a small smile. "As queen you can do it your way, you are a dragon. You have power and will, use them."

 **-x-**

Oberyn watched from around the corner as his niece was comforted by Caelys, staying strangely quiet during the exchange, inside he was fuming and plotting much like his brother. There as no way his great nephew was going to be separated from his loving parents and thrown to the 'tender mercies' of Tywin Lannister or his vicious daughter or bastard grandson. Mace Tyrell had finally gone too far this time and pissed off someone enough that they would take action, his days Oberyn vowed to himself were numbered.

* * *

 _ **The Red Keep, Kings Landing…**_

"YOU STUPID OAF!" Olenna shouted at her son Mace while smacking him in the side with her stick. He covered his face with his arms while a shocked and scared Margaery and Loras looked on.

"Mother stop that." He cried out as he tried to get away from her sudden assault, but Olenna showing far greater energy than any of them had ever credited her with continued on with her attack.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?! DO YOU?!" Olenna shouted at him, her son had done a lot of stupid things in his life but this was honestly the worst she thought with rage pulsing in her veins. She had just heard from her little birds the deal he had struck with Tywin Lannister to have Jasen, her great-grandson brought here to be tormented by Cersei and Joffrey as a hostage in all but name to ensure Harry did as they said. She had spent years trying to to teach Mace to rule only now it might be the end of them she thought with fear.

"Grandmother, I will be here to watch over him I swear." Margaery said trying to placate her grandmother's anger only to receive a glare that shut her up immediately. Olenna knew the girl understood that their vassals were sure to see this as a sign of weakness, just giving the future heir to Highgarden to the Lannisters and denying them the right to foster their future lord at the same time but knew nothing of the real threat. Aside from what her great-grandson would no doubt endure here it was what Harry would do that scared her the most.

"Do you?" Olenna asked her voice going quieter for a moment. "Have any idea what Harry will do when he finds out about this? DO YOU?" Her voice rising towards the end and Mace puffed up as if insulted.

"That miserable waste of time should be grateful he has a place in our family at all, not to mention we can afford to lose his bastard." Mace said trying to sound clever and important only to get a smack with the stick clean across the face from Olenna who stood there fuming.

"You are worthless! Pathetic! A FOOL of the highest order! The most intelligent and accomplished man in House Tyrell's entire history and you call him a 'miserable waste of time'. His son...your grandson, my great-grandson the future heir to Highgarden and Bloodstone. The future Lord Paramount of the Reach and the Stepstones, A WARDEN TWICE!...and you call him a bastard? And would give him over to those 'creatures'?" Olenna's voice grew colder as she continued.

Loras looked away, not liking the reminder that he couldn't ever continue the family line. He had tried so often but never could, Margaery meanwhile was aware of most of the implications of her father's admittedly very bad decision but not of the complete danger.

"Do you have any idea how Harry will react to this? What he might do? How dangerous he could be?" Olenna asked addressing her real fear. "He will never allow his son to be taken from him like this and since he hasn't risen in rebellion I can only guess he must have a plan, one that I doubt would be good for us." Olenna said, really worried that Harry had drawn definite battle lines and declared war on any one allied with the Lannisters which she knew might include them.

* * *

 _ **Astapor, Essos…**_

Daenerys was feeling on top of the world as Drogo burned the Slaver alive and the Unsullied obeyed her command to break the chains on every slave in the city, the impressed looks of her council filling her with confidence.

Yara turned and knelt before her, offering her ships to her cause and while she was tempted to sail for Westeros right this day she felt...obligated to help while men and women still were bond in chains so she thought with determination she would take the other cities of Slaver's Bay before sailing home to claim her birthright.

Ser Jorah at her side was glad too of her victory but had news which could she hoped help her cause.

"The Freed Slave Movement has been sighted coming towards south Meereen from the Bone Mountains but they are still a few weeks away, we should be able to get to the city before them your grace." Ser Jorah reported.

Daenerys stopped to think about that before continuing with the preparations for the march to Yunkai, the Movement had the same goal as she did...to break the chains on all slaves in Essos so they might be a useful ally or a rival she thought with caution, not letting herself get too carried away after what had happened before when she acted without thinking, her mind drifting towards the memory of her husband and her son for a moment before she returned to the present.

"Understood, let us march to Yunkai then." Daenerys said with a smile she forced on her face.

* * *

 _ **Kings Landing, the Crownlands…**_

Harry honestly hated Kings Landing, it seemed to get worst with every visit he made.

On the bow of the ship he stared at the city and his thoughts turned dark as he listed all the people there and why he hated them. The Lannisters, Baelish even his own family, he was not looking forward to this.

"Any more brooding and your face will set in stone." A light voice joked behind him and Harry could not help but grin slightly as Oberyn came up with Ellaria on his arm and stood next to him.

"Its just every time I come to this city it seems to get more disgusting." Harry told them with bitter annoyance, he hated coming here and would prefer to stay in the islands. The only reason Kanoro was not with him was that he wanted him with Rhaenys in case things came to the worst, so with the exception of Oberyn he had no friends in this city. His companions nodded feeling much the same given their own experiences with the city, Oberyn in particular given what had happened to Elia and her son while she was here.

"True, it needs to be cleaned out properly from top to bottom." Oberyn said with bitterness now creeping into his own voice.

All three of them looked towards the Red Keep and glared hatefully at it, knowing full well what lurked in there. Arya was concealed in the cabin of the ship and was ready to insert herself into the Red Keep upon their landing with some gold to grease palms and a list of people to go too, he would be ready to assist her in any way he could and she wore a portkey at all times to evacuate if her cover was blown.

Harry could only hope they didn't lose anyone this time.

 **-x-**

No one greeted them as they docked which would have been unusual had they been expected today, Oberyn had insisted on them arriving early and on a cargo vessel rather than more recognisable transport, just to mess with the Lannisters. It actually made Harry smile at the chance to mess with them but he alas had business with them so he went to the Tower of the Hand where Tywin Lannister could usually be found.

Eluding the Lannister guards was laughable in how easy it was until he arrived at the solar and looked at the Old Lion who was buried deep in his work, he took a moment to study the man and was while impressed at his intelligence and cunning was disgusted at his lack of morals. He might be one of the greatest lords Westeros had seen in decades but he had absolutely no conscience, he only believed in his own legacy dressing it up in a supposed belief in family but really he cared very little for his children or his grandchildren.

Another reason why Harry was never going to let him near his son.

"So Lord Hand, hard at work? I imagine the role of Hand of the King must be a stressful one although with your experience manageable." Harry said with a mocking ease that would have sounded perfectly at home coming from Oberyn.

Tywin if he was startled did not show it and instead just looked up like he had known he was there all the time, if he had been a better man Harry would have admired his composure but he wasn't, so he didn't.

"Lord Tyrell, you were expected a few days from now." Tywin said with the air of a very cold schoolmaster but Harry just smirked and said.

"I was lucky with the winds and tides, not to mention I was of course eager to get here and lead the assault on Dragonstone." Harry said leaning against the doorway in a relaxed manner before walking I and grinning at the Lannister lord. Not the usual attitude people displayed with Tywin but Harry wanted to play this fast and loose, given he was planning the man's demise he didn't want to give the game away.

"Very well, I suppose your son Jasen is here too? The court awaits his arrival." Tywin said more as a statement of fact than a question and Harry allowed his eyes to harden slightly but kept smiling.

"My son is only five, he will not be coming here till he has turned eight which as I am sure you are aware is the norm for fostering. My son is still too young to be taken from his home and be servant to...his grace." Harry said pleasantly but there was an edge to his voice and his gaze that hinted it was a facade. Tywin stared into his eyes trying to weaken his resolve but Harry just stared back with equal if not greater intensity, a contest of wills to see who would break first. Harry refused to give in, he would not he thought fiercely allow the man that had killed his wife's mother and brother to get his way here.

Tywin eventually nodded in acceptance of that, he knew he would need some kind of leverage over Harry Tyrell so he would look elsewhere, every man had a weakness Tywin thought to himself.

 **-x-**

Harry the next day refused another invitation to join his 'family' for dinner, he did not want to have to deal with them right now and was just waiting for his meeting with the men that would be joining him in the assault on Dragonstone. The Velaryons were providing the ships for the assault and their fleet was moored here while the troops from Reach and Crownland houses plus the Sellswords from Bronn's Bastards assembled outside the city. Lord Tarly would be arriving in a couple of days and Harry wanted to meet with the greatest general the Reach had seen for decades if not centuries as if his plans bore fruit then Lord Tarly would a very useful ally.

A knock at the door of his room broke him from his thoughts and said looking up.

"Enter."

The door opened and Harry was surprised to see a girl that looked distinctly Northern enter, dressed as one of his sister's handmaidens. She was pretty in her way Harry thought, still only half way through her teenage years she still had some growing to do but all the same she would be sought after by those that could see her potential. This must he realised be Mira Forrester, the girl his sister had taken into her service and sister to one of his northern allies.

"My lord, I have a message from your sister. She hopes you might join her in the gardens this afternoon." The poor girl he noticed looked terrified, probably like Sansa Stark Mira is not accustomed to the intrigues of court life. Harry had no intention of meeting with his sister, by all means let her and the rest of their family sweat for a while he thought while he put his own plans into motion but the sight of the Northern girl Harry came to a quick decision that could aid his wards in their future battles in the North.

"I may if the time permits, Lady Mira." Harry said with a smile and the girl looked surprised that he knew her name, he went over to the wine pitcher and quietly slipped some sleeping draft into it before turning back offering Mira some. "Wine, Lady Mira it is a good one and it is a shame to let it go to waste without good company."

While Mira did not really want a drink she thought it unwise to offend her lady's brother, especially after the letter her mother had sent her saying to get aid for their family in the south in any way she could. So she took the offered cup and sipped it, it was surprisingly sweet and she took another before she felt a bit weary after a busy day and sat down on the seat. She closed her eyes for a second to rest her eyes and that was all she knew as sleep came upon her.

 **-x-**

Mira awoke hours later to find herself somewhere completely different.

It was no room in the Red Keep she realised that immediately, the wooden floor and walls and few furnishings were proof of that not to mention as she struggled to her unsteady feet that the room seemed to be moving. She thought at first it might just be her feeling woozy but as her head slowly cleared she realised that the slight pitching and swaying was in fact the room itself. Fear gripped her as she rushed over to the window and saw to her horror that outside was ocean.

She stumbled backwards in shock until she collapsed on the small bed of the cabin, she had no idea where she was, where the ship was destined for or what her captures wanted. Perhaps to make her their whore she thought, a shiver running through her at the mere idea of it.

Her fear and terror mounted so high that she nearly launched herself out of the window when the door opened and a man dressed in good quality clothes entered, he gave her a smile and said in a rough voice.

"Ah Lady Forrester, I apologize for the room's state we don't usually have passengers." The captain she guessed told her. "Lord Tyrell said you would be hungry when you woke so the cook will be here with some food in a few minutes. Lord Tyrell left you this letter." He said handing her a piece of parchment which she took in complete shock that Lord Tyrell had done this to her, why she thought opening the letter and reading it quickly desperate for answers.

 _To Lady Forrester,_

 _Firstly I must apologize for doing this to you but it is for your own good, court is not a place for anyone with decency or morals and being Northern given the recent war puts you at a considerable disadvantage._

 _If it is your family that you fear for I can assure you of their well-being, the recent extinction of the male Whitehill line, the marriage of Gwyn Whitehill to your brother Asher and your elder brother Rodrik's marriage to Elaena Glenmore has secured their position in the North for the moment and you would find little support in Kings Landing I assure you. However on Bloodstone you will discover two new ladies to serve who would I hope be more to your liking, there is something of the 'wolf' about them._

 _Wishing you a pleasant voyage,_

 _Lord Harry Tyrell._

Mira was completely wide eyed at the words on the page, she could of course not trust the word of a man that had drugged and kidnapped her but the mention of two 'lady wolves' immediately reminded her of the two missing Stark ladies. Her family had been loyal to them and she was curious over what was going on.

Either way she stared out of the window, she was powerless for now until she got to wherever it was that she was going. Maybe then she could effect an escape but who knows, she would have to wait and see for now and hope that Lord Tyrell was telling the truth. A rumble of her stomach suddenly caught her attention as she realised how hungry she was, especially when the ship's cook came in with some stew and she scoffed it down with gusto.

* * *

Back in Kings Landing Harry sat around a table with the rest of the commanders of the army, commanding the Crownlands men rather surprisingly was Ser Jaime Lannister who shook his hand as he entered followed shortly by his brother Tyrion. Harry was glad of this as they were the only Lannisters he could stand for a prolonged period of time.

The last to arrive were Lord Randyll Tarly and his second son and new heir Dickon and he looked as severe as he had all those years ago when Harry had first seen him in Oldtown when Lord Tarly had been visiting the Hightowers. He was a stern and Harry knew not one to waste time with fools so Harry got straight down to business.

"An assault from the water will be costly whatever strategy we decide on." Harry said as he sat at the head of the table. "Dragonstone is one of the strongest and most defensible strongholds in all of Westeros so we must all understand that before we continue." Harry said, wanting them all to understand the great danger of what they were about to attempt. Randyll Tarly and Jaime both nodded, they were fully aware of the danger of attacking the castle directly having experience in military matters. Tyrion nodded too as he was well aware of his own lack of knowledge in such things but Dickon Tarly meanwhile who was a fair few years younger than Harry himself showed his naïvety.

"Why not just have ships with catapults bring the walls down?" Dickon asked them and the rest of them all looked at him in disbelief.

"Those walls are made of Dragonstone, it is where the castle gets its name from and it is the hardest stone known to exist. We could blast away at it with siege engines for days and not make a dent." Harry said remembering he had faced such a situation before in Volantis. Randyll meanwhile looked at his son with disdain.

"Have you forgotten what I taught you boy? Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut?" Randyll said harshly to Dickon who seemed to shrink to half his previous size at the put down and for a moment Harry and the rest of the men around the table all felt sorry for him briefly but they had an invasion to plan so Harry took back control.

"If the walls weren't bad enough they are high and have a clear view of the surrounding area so there is no chance of landing our army without being seen. Then there are the limited in land routes up to the castle which are perfectly suited to ambushes and the castle's archers raiding fire down on us. The gates are made of the same material as the walls so battering rams are out of the question and the walls are so high ladders would be impractical. To make matters worse the weather has been calm and clear the last few days so while landing troops will be easier, so will it be for Stannis and his men to see us before raining fire down on us and it is not like we can risk trying to land our army at night either as the rocks around there would hole our ships if we can't see them. So those are the problems, now we must come up with the solutions." Harry said seriously wondering who thought this was a good idea, why not hire a faceless man to kill Stannis Tywin? Harry asked in his thoughts why have us throw our lives away? I know you want me dead but waste so many men like this is ridculous.

Had it been less public he might have tried to sabotage their defences with magic but he was unsure this time if he could do it without getting caught and while it was extremely useful he did not want to have to resort to magic for everything.

"We could climb the walls with grapples." Jaime said making them all turn to him, while he was still distracted by what had happened with Brienne earlier he tried to contribute something useful. "Get a few men inside to break the mechanism that opens and closes the doors for them."

"Those walls are at least fifty feet high on land and even more on the water, who is gong to be willing to take that risk?" Randyll asked and while he and Dickon were dismissive but Harry instead had an idea that complimented Jaime's.

"My ships use a weapon called the Harpax that fires a grapple from a powerful crossbow, a smaller version could be used to set ropes and a dozen volunteers could climb that way. A small boat could possibly sneak in undetected at night and avoid the rocks." Harry said in support of Jaime who gave him a grateful smile.

"Those men couldn't wear armour though." Tyrion added, worried that his brother would be one of those volunteers. He had only just gotten his brother back and did not want to see him die in a stunt like this.

"Then they had best be good fighters or good at not being seen." Harry said quickly, a plan evolving in his mind so he turned to Lord Tarly and said.

"I will lead a strike team to Dragonstone on a smaller boat the night before the assault, the team will scale the walls and enter the castle and do whatever we can to sabotage its defences before Lord Tarly invades the following day with the majority of the army." Harry said making gestures towards the main targets of the team the castle gates, the war machines on the walls and the armoury where spare weapons and arrows would be kept.

"That is a highly risky plan." Lord Tarly said quietly, he was aware of course that it was their only chance to take the castle without sustaining horrendous losses and this was still going to cost them dearly.

"Fortune favours the bold." Tyrion said bleakly, remembering an old saying he had read once. They all looked to him and nodded they could only hope so, otherwise this was going to be the largest loss of men in the history of the Crownlands and Narrow Sea.

 **-x-**

Arya was busy as she moved around the castle doing her duties as a maid, it was hard work she thought and more difficult than she had imagined given she had little experience at such things being a lady of noble birth but she was capable enough to adapt quickly and now served with quiet efficiency. She caught sight of herself in a mirror as she passed carrying wine for Cersei, she had to concentrate hard to stop her from staring at her reflection.

Her dark brown hair was now a shade of blonde, not like the Lannisters but a tone or two darker and her eyes rather than grey were brown. Lord Tyrell had provided the potions that made these changes and assured her that it was not permanent and was easily reversed but still...it disturbed her no end.

"You girl!"

The voice nearly made her freeze, horrible in its familiarity. Cersei Lannister stood there looking and haughty as ever, Arya was for a moment worried Cersei might recognise her but when the Lannister looked at her...nothing not a hint of recognition and it fact was looking down her nose at her as she took the wine off of her and walked away.

Arya was stunned at what had just happened, she had come face to face with one of the few people in the Red Keep that might recognise her as Arya Stark but absolutely nothing...she was amazed at the difference hair and eye colour could make. She was tempted to go and kill Cersei right now, she could easily steal a knife from the kitchens but she ruthlessly suppressed it. She had bigger targets here and one day Cersei would be punished for what she had done.

* * *

 _ **Off the Coast of Dragonstone, late at night…**_

The sloop with its sails down and no lights made its way towards the imposing castle, the lack of a moon was perfect to avoid being detected but required them to extremely vigilant to avoid the rocks that surrounded Dragonstone. Harry and the rest of his men including Jaime Lannister checked their equipment one last time as the dark cliffs of the island came within view, he was not nervous as he knew they could do this. The others were not so sure and in fact more than one looked ready to throw up at the scale of the task ahead of them tonight, in fact the only two who didn't were Harry and Jaime Lannister.

The lack of armour felt strange on Harry and Jaime who both were used to wearing it in battle but neither cared enough to say it aloud, Jaime however did have something to the Tyrell that had bothered to listen to him and helped him find his own honour.

"Lord Tyrell...Harry, your son...I didn't." Jaime started to say but Harry realising what he was about to say stopped him talking and said calmly.

"I know that you had nothing to do with your father's decision and I do not blame you for it or Tyrion, I can tell the difference between you both and your father." Harry reassured him, it was true he didn't blame Jaime or his brother for the actions of their father that would not be right and an injustice to two of the most decent men Harry had ever met.

The conversation was stopped by the rocking of the boat as it stopped on the small bit of beach they had chosen for their landing. Harry and Jaime led their eight men off the boat and looked high up to the walls of Dragonstone nearly eighty feet above them, all of them even Harry swallowed at the scale of the climb ahead of them but nevertheless they took their crossbow/grapples and aimed at the ramparts of the castle. Waiting for just the right moment in the wind they fired and ten grapples soared into the sky and hooked themselves on the least guarded section of the walls, one man missed and they had to wait for him to reload and then fire again before finally getting a hold and they began the climb.

Even with gloves to help their grip it was hard going on the men as they climbed, the wind started picking up and the chill did not help, their clothes could only provide so much protection and they shivered as they climbed. The smoothness of the walls also prevented them from getting any additional leverage against it, so it was just them climbing the rope with the wind all around them.

Harry was the furthest up the ropes and was concentrating like mad to keep his grip, below he heard a cry and looked down to see one of their men fall to his death on the rocky shore below. Harry and Jaime shared a look of dismay but they both knew they had to carry on.

It seemed to go forever, the wind gradually got worse and worse as they climbed. Two more men lost their grip and fell to their deaths before finally they managed to scramble onto the thankfully deserted section of the ramparts. All of them slumped against the walls they had just climbed as they struggled to catch their breath and ease their aching hands.

"Never again." Jaime said as he tried to catch his breath. "Will I suggest climbing."

"It was still better than a frontal assault." Harry said himself slightly breathless after the effort, they might have lost three men but it was far less than they would have lost storming the place. "Everyone get your breath back and then we move, we have a job to do." Harry told their men and for a few minutes they all sat there grateful for the small rest before Harry got to his feet followed by Jaime and reluctantly the rest of their men.

Notice me not charms covertly cast by Harry helped the group as they sneaked along the walls to where the catapults and scorpions were waiting. The good thing about less complicated weapons like these though was by merely cutting the rope in the right place they effectively disabled it or breaking other key points in the mechanism, the beauty of it was that the breaks were so small they would be missed unless you were actually looking for them. Guards they did find were diligent in their duty as would be expected with a commander like Stannis but few had any chance to raise the alarm before their throats were slit by Harry and his men as they crept across the fortress.

Dawn was fast approaching by the time they managed to reach the castle gates, Harry dispatched one with a throwing knife and Jaime the other with his sword before each of them grasped a hold of the turntable that opened and closed the gates and with all their might, forced it to move.

The heavy gates moved slowly open, the noise alerted the guards close enough to hear it so with little time to spare Harry and Jaime let go of wheel and with their swords hacked and slashed at the mechanism. Ropes were severed and discs broken, all would be fixable but not quickly enough, Harry and Jaime shared a glance before heading to the keep while their men distracted their enemies.

They had one last thing to do.

 **-x-**

Off the coast the clear morning dawn revealed to the worried defenders the large fleet of ships carrying thousands of men intent on taking the island for themselves.

From the flagship Randyll Tarly surveyed the scene and through a set of Myrish glasses saw the gates were still open and the lack of fire raining down on them was proof that Lord Tyrell's strike team had accomplished their mission and now he could begin to land their troops. It would still be a hard struggle to get into the castle but not beyond their ability now.

 **-x-**

Stannis was quick to find his sword and make his way to the walls when the attack bell sounded, he had been expecting it since the failed invasion of Kings Landing and this time he vowed to himself it would be his enemies that would be the ones to feel great losses. He ran through the keep and was shocked to find two familiar swordsmen already inside his castle, the Kingslayer and Harry Tyrell.

He did not waste time with words, their intent was clear...to kill him so he charged at them with his sword in hand.

Harry and Jaime lacking armour did not want to a prolonged fight against Stannis so they avoided the head on attack and sidestepped with Harry catching Stannis in the calf as they passed. Stannis winced as the pain hit him but did not stop and renewed his attack.

So started the pattern, as Stannis tried to hit one of them they would defend while the other struck before evading a counter strike and defending while the other came in for an attack so the cycle continued, moving as a coordinated pair to evade then strike. Stannis managed with considerable skill stop them from finding a killing blow so they instead settled for quick jabs and slashes.

Stannis surprised them with his fortitude, taking far more abuse than any normal man but soon his reactions slowed as more and more wounds were inflicted on him until finally his arms were too sluggish to block Jaime who came in with a thrust to his stomach.

Stannis stilled instantly as he felt the steel enter his body, falling to his knees with eyes wide collapsed to the floor.

 **-x-**

 _ **A Ship, Unknown Location a few hours later…**_

Davos Seaworth looked at the depressed crew of his few ships, men who had lost everything and had nowhere to go and felt as miserable as any of them. The reason was simple, their king was dead and they had no one else to turn too. The Princess Shireen was now an orphan and had no home, Queen Selyse had hanged herself and her father died fighting.

Davos had only just managed to sneak Shireen away in the chaos of the attack on Dragonstone and escape with a few ships carrying around five hundred men. He was not sure what he was supposed to do now but he was thinking of taking her to Braavos which was the only place she might be safe from the Lannisters and the Tyrells. He went to cabin where Shireen was sleeping to make sure she was comfortable when the men who were sailing the ship turned to a figure who had been lurking in the shadows.

"He is gone my lady."

Melisandre stepped into the light and nodded slowly, her heart was still aching from the death of her king but her recent visions had ensured not only her survival but that of Davos Seaworth and the Princess Shireen although they didn't know that, the changes in the future needed her to have some kind of leverage for the battles with the true enemy.

"Set a course north, to Eastwatch. Our lord commands we go there." She ordered and the sailors who she had long converted to her cause nodded in acceptance of her orders and set their course.

* * *

 _Thank you for reading the chapter, I hope to have another one soon. Please review to let me know what you think._

 _ **Next Chapter**_ _– Preparations for the Royal Wedding go ahead and Harry receives an intriguing request from an ally that has big implications._


	26. Chapter 26 The Purple Wedding

_**Disclaimer:**_ _I do not own Harry Potter and Game of Thrones._

 _This is the edited version of Chapter 26, it is largely unchanged except for the major point of contention in the previous version to do with Margaery._

 _Firstly I want to thank those that supported me while the hate over the chapter was flying in. You know who you are and I honestly have appreciated all you guys said._ _I would name you all here but there are so many so to you all thank you! I took your advice to heart and will in future stand by my work._

 _There are a few points I should probably make clear about things as they stand:_

 _1) Harry used Valyria's Torment rather than the more normal poisons because it has a ten minute interval before it takes effect so Arya could hopefully get all her targets before they showed the symptoms and everyone stopped drinking. Also the maesters have not seen it before and only Harry himself has the antidote._

 _2) The Trial By Combat, six against one? I think people forget that this is Tywin and indeed Cersei trying to ensure Tyrion dies, both want him dead and given his hold over the throne what Tywin says goes. They had no single warrior capable of taking Harry on head to head so he decided the whole Kingsguard should fight Harry betting greater numbers would win it for him (except for Jaime who would never side against Tyrion)._

 _3) Why hasn't Harry and Rhaenys just declared war straight away and take the throne given they have dragons? They are trying to minimise any opposition against them and install allies in the other kingdoms that will support their claim or make sure neutrals who will not fight against them are in power. They are also making sure by breaking the Lannister/Tyrell alliance that they do not have to contend with the Reach army being turned against them and will likely be at their back._

 _4) Why hasn't Harry and Rhaenys lost anyone close to them yet? The reason is two fold, preparation by ensuring those they care about and are in the know have portkeys to get them out of danger or are protected in the islands. Alys is surrounded by her own army as is Myria and apart from them only Kanoro leaves the islands and as I have said before he is an equal to Barristan Selmy as a warrior._

 **Chapter 26 – The Purple Wedding**

 _ **Kings Landing, the Crownlands…**_

People lined the streets cheering as Harry, Jaime and Randyll rode at the head of their column through the city. They waved and clapped, drums and flutes could be heard playing and the whole city seemed ready to celebrate.

Harry smiled at the people but nothing more, in fact his smile was little more than a facade, they would cheer for the Lannisters if they came back after slaughtering a whole house. The fickleness of people never failed to surprise Harry, how easily people switched allegiance to be closer to the 'winner'. Right now that was him and he acted the part that was expected, after all he did not want someone getting suspicious if he was acting out of character.

 **\- x -**

Arriving at the steps of the Red Keep Harry and his group found no one to greet them, it was a blatant slap in the face to them all as Joffrey according to the servant that did meet them eventually his grace had 'other matters to attend to' which meant basically he could not be bothered and this time Tywin had not managed to force him too.

The slight brought a look of irritation to them all but they accepted it, Harry in fact was glad as he did not have to deal with the boy king and instead left to go and find some peace and quiet.

Finding the rooms he had been given Harry was annoyed to see he had a visitor, the tall female knight that he had last seen standing at Renly's side and glaring at him for disrespecting the would-be king. The one that he had heard assassinated Renly only days after he left so he was instantly on his guard and glad he was in his armour with swords to hand.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure...Lady Brienne?" Harry asked her with suspicious eyes, ready to reach for his swords or knives if he needed them at a moment's notice. The female knight looked very unsure of herself he noticed but Harry did not let down his guard, Renly had and look how that had ended for him.

"Please...my lord. I need your help." Lady Brienne said wishing she had made a better impression on the hotheaded lord of the Stepstones beforehand, he was widely travelled and knew a great deal about the wider world which was what she needed now to understand just what she was up against...what she had seen kill Renly.

"My help, you have a strange way of asking for it." Harry asked, seeing she had come in armour and with her own sword his eyes moving to them before returning to her face.

"I must know what happened in his grace King Renly's tent, what I saw there." Brienne said her mind thinking to the shadow that had killed her king and no one had believed her, Lord Tyrell however had said something about knowing the Red Woman's kind when they had met her on the cliffs so hopefully he could tell her how to stop the Red Woman.

"When you killed him." Harry said actually amused by her attempt to confuse the issue but she looked pained and full of grief at his words.

"NO! I DIDN'T!" She said with all the emotion and depth she could give, Harry felt by a quick scan of her surface thoughts that she was surprisingly telling the truth. This was interesting he thought to himself and decided to give her a chance.

"Well then, you have five minutes explain." Harry said, curious at what she thought had happened in the tent. While he sensed she was truthful about whatever had happened in that tent he reserved judgement, she could have simply allowed someone else to kill Renly and be telling the truth that she didn't actually do the deed.

Brienne looked unsettled but started to talk about what had happened in that tent, how while he had been talking to Catelyn Stark a shadow with Stannis' face had invaded the tent and stabbed Renly through the back while she had been powerless to stop it. Harry could see in her surface thoughts that she was actually telling the truth but he with his greater and wider knowledge of the world realised what had actually happened and suddenly was worried that he had missed a greater threat than Stannis or the Lannisters.

A fellow magic wielder although he could not be sure of her strength or skill.

He looked over to Brienne with a grim look and said the words she needed to hear.

"I believe you, when I said I had seen the Red Woman's kind before I had thought she was simply another worshipper of the Red God but in fact she was something far more dangerous." Harry told her and while Brienne looked so relieved that someone did she was unsettled by the way he implied Melisandre was more of a threat than they had thought.

"So what is she my lord?" Brienne asked, a chill running up her spine at his answer.

"A shadow-binder, one of the magic wielders in Asshai. Their powers are some of the darkest this world has ever seen and if she is capable of creating a shadow capable of stabbing Renly at such a distance then she is a dangerous threat indeed." Harry concluded, when he had the chance he would use the glass candles to locate her and kill her when possible.

"Then I have to find and kill her, with the Stark girls missing avenging my king is all I have left." Brienne said preparing to go and hunt the Red Woman down and kill her for what she had done to Renly. Harry however instantly picked up on her mention of the Stark girls and saw she wanted with all her heart to honour the vow she had made to House Stark and been devastated to learn Sansa had vanished and many presumed Tywin had killed her secretly to destroy House Stark. Seeing a potential asset Harry decided to give the woman a hint and see whether her honour was stronger than her anger.

"Since we do not know where she has fled too might I suggest a diversion in the meantime, I invite you to Bloodstone where you might find a purpose." Harry said to her cryptically before leaving.

Brienne was unsure of his words as she watched him leave, she knew there was more to his invitation but the bit about finding 'purpose' confused her. Her curiosity peaked and having little option given Jaime Lannister was her only ally here and given what had happened in his room which still made her blush she could not look him in the eye, she decided to accept Harry Tyrell's invitation and would take her new squire Podrick with her. She felt guilty about running away from Jaime but things were so awkward perhaps some distance and time was what they both needed.

 **\- x -**

Later that day Harry while relaxing in his rooms had received a letter from Braavos, hand delivered to ensure no interception. As he opened it he saw the familiar writing of Tycho Nestoris.

 _To Harry Tyrell,_

 _You have our thanks as our investments with yourself have proven most profitable however I write to you now with a request from the bank regarding Westeros._

 _Tywin Lannister has increased the debt owed to us by the Iron Throne considerably with the recent war and is of course assuring us that he is able to repay the coin loaned to him however many in the bank are doubtful and before we accept his word we would be grateful if you could discover if he is in fact able to pay._

 _This of course is a large favour to beg but given the coin we have made together and hope to make in the future it is one we hope you will consider._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Tycho Nestoris on behalf of the Iron Bank._

Harry did not hear many requests from the Iron Bank as they wanted to hide his connection to them but when they did it was important, it was also another thing that Harry and his allies had to consider since Tywin was supposedly rich enough to buy an army of sellswords but if he had been increasing the debt then perhaps something was going on that Tywin wanted or needed to hide. That his own family was paying for half the wedding was another telling sign that something was going on. He would investigate this and hope it was something in their favour.

 **\- x -**

Olenna and Margaery both received yet another polite but firm refusal to their invitation, both shared a look of worry as Harry continued to ignore them and while once they might have put it down to childishness now they were worried he might be planning something with the wedding so close and did not want them discovering it beforehand.

They were right to be concerned as Harry's agent Arya moved silently and unobserved around the Red Keep as she memorized the layout again and familiarised herself with the wedding plans, Lord Tyrell had been as good as his word with some money and magic she was now on the list to serve at the wedding. She was eager with anticipation but kept to her part and waited for the right moment to strike.

* * *

Oberyn meanwhile was enjoying himself immensely in the city's brothels with Ellaria, he smiled and drank and fucked as much as he wanted to but inside he was reviewing his supply of poisons and planning his strategy. He would get Mace Tyrell, if Harry's plan worked out it would be put down to the same assassin that killed at the wedding and looking for motive should confuse any attempt to find the culprit.

But until then he was sitting in bed while an uncomfortable Tyrion Lannister stood with his man Bronn in the doorway, while the Imp was Lannister Oberyn could tell he was a far better man than his father. Say what you would about his judgement Oberyn had always been good at reading people and he could tell that Tyrion would be a good friend, not least because the sole reason he was here, to ask about Myrcella, his niece.

"I assure you Tyrion Lannister, we do not hurt children in Dorne. She has my nephew's heart in the palm of her hand and will I am sure make a beautiful consort to the Prince of Dorne." Oberyn told him, relaxed and easy going in the way he said it and while the Imp was not completely convinced by this he let the matter drop. As more whores entered, just girls to his own disappointment but still he smirked and asked. "Do you partake?"

Tyrion was silent for a moment and looked like he was going to refuse but instead given he needed cheering up after all the slights put his way recently he nodded and Oberyn smirked before turning to the servant who was attending to them.

"Fetch a few more whores for these two men."

"Bloody hell." Bronn said with a grin and Tyrion just shook his head at his man's enthusiasm.

 **\- x -**

Varys meanwhile was avoiding Harry Tyrell, the man had a reputation for drawing out secrets and if it had any truth in it he should keep his distance as he studied him and the girl he had smuggled into the Red Keep, his memory for faces identified her as Arya Stark and while he could not be exactly sure of their plan he had his suspicions and honestly did not know what to do.

While he had heard from his little birds that Daenerys seemed to be a good natured woman she had begun to develop a belief that she was 'destined' to sit on the Iron Throne, having served many tyrants in his life he knew they all spoke of destiny and what they were certain to become. It might not be as bad as that but the girl could be showing the first symptoms of the madness that had consumed her father and that was forcing him to reconsider his plans, he knew that the attempt to get Jasen Tyrell to come to the Red Keep as a 'ward' or rather a hostage was going to push Harry Tyrell and Rhaenys Targaryen into a position where they would have to act and the two of them were starting to look like a far more stable option for the good of Westeros and its people.

That was the main reason he had decided not to reveal them, killing Joffrey and Tywin would certainly be a great boon to his cause but with Daenerys convinced her destiny was to rule Westeros he might be faced with another Dance of Dragons if they should ever meet and fight over who should rule. Rhaenys had five larger and more powerful dragons which she controlled fairly well but the three dragons Daenerys had were capable of causing a great deal of damage if unleashed. Perhaps he thought he should try and convince her to stay in Essos and build her own kingdom there, with her recent conquest of Yunkai and acquiring the aid of the Second Sons it was looking far more like she would succeed but he was not sure she would listen to his words and so Varys decided maybe he should find someone far more persuasive than he, the cogs of his mind moving as he wondered how he might get Tyrion to go to her.

* * *

 _ **Bloodstone, the Stepstones…**_

Sansa looked north towards Kings Landing with worried eyes, her sister was there doing something so dangerous that it could easily get her killed. She had lost so much of her family already, she did not want to lose her sister too, now after they had just found each other again and started to make a better relationship with each other.

"She will be fine." Princess Rhaenys told her with a comforting smile as she drew her dagger across the table they were sitting at. "Your worry for your family does you credit but you also have to trust them to manage on their own if you and your sister are to rule the North you need to trust her, so you in the meantime should focus on this."

Sansa nodded and turned back to the picture Princess Rhaenys and Lady Zara had put in front of her as Lady Zara pointed out all the weakest or most devastating places on the human body, useful knowledge for an archer like she was training to be or for the dagger she now had strapped to her thigh.

Kanoro, the dark skinned warrior and castellan for the castle appeared at the door to the hall and all three looked over.

"Mira Forrester and Torrhen Karstark have arrived my lady." Kanoro told them in his deep baritone and Rhaenys gave him a grateful smile.

"Thank you Kanoro, show them in." Rhaenys told him before turning to Sansa. "Go on."

Sansa nodded and got to her feet, feeling briefly nervous for a moment before she squashed it ruthlessly and waited for her fellow countrymen to arrive. When they did they appeared typically Northern with dark brown hair and pale skin sweating in the great heat of the islands that she knew took a lot of getting used to, they in turn looked astonished to see her she noticed but quickly bowed or curtsied.

"Lady Stark, it is an honour." Torrhen said with a bow, he was handsome she supposed in the rough northern way. She remembered once her father had thought of betrothing her to him or his older brother but her mother had not allowed it, determined she would have a more glamorous southern match instead. Sansa almost laughed at the irony, she would never have been a hostage to the Lannisters if her father had got his way.

"I would like to the say the same Lord Karstark but I can't because of what your brother Harald has done, allowing your father to die and swearing your family to the Boltons. It makes me wary." Sansa said sharply knowing she had to address that thorny issue and Torrhen winced at the mention of it and said quickly.

"I know my lady, it shames me more than you could ever know but when I return I will make him face judgement for his betrayal and bring my house's men back where they belong." Torrhen told her and Sansa smiled making the young man blush before she turned to Mira.

"Your family has gotten a lot stronger recently and has always been loyal, that is something I would dearly appreciate having at my side." Sansa told the girl not that much younger than herself and Mira gave a nervous smile.

"I would gladly serve you my lady."

"Then I am happy to have you both with me and so will my sister when she returns." Sansa said feeling very much like she had taken the first step towards regaining her home and restoring House Stark.

* * *

 _ **Castle Black, the Wall…**_

Jon had never felt so unwelcome in his life.

Even at Winterfell with Lady Stark he had been tolerated and had his half siblings and father to be there for him, here however he was a true pariah and now only Sam seemed to want to have anything to do with him.

Well apart from Maester Aemon, Jon thought who he felt a strange connection with the ancient maester he could not explain, one that allowed Jon to show the man his new sword which Aemon had identified to their mutual shock as _Dark Sister_ and to confess his breaking of his vows with Ygritte to the old man. The blind and old maester smiled sadly before making an admittance of his own.

"When I was a younger man my uncle Brynden Waters known to you as the Bloodraven left something in my care, the dragon egg he had taken from Butterwell during Daemon 2nd Blackfyre's brief attempt to start a fresh rebellion and told me to hide it for the day it might be needed and a fire crystal from Valyria he had discovered to hatch it with." Aemon told an astonished Jon. "But I was a young and I was sure that I could do more than guard it so I used the crystal and I hatched the dragon."

Jon looked at the old maester in complete shock at his revelation, he had hatched a dragon.

"What happened to it?" Jon asked knowing full well that even with the dragons re-emerging in recent times there had been nothing of the flying beasts beyond six years ago.

"I struggled to hide it, she was my dragon and I did not want her being taken by my family in the south but one day when she was as large as your wolf is now a ranger discovered her and in a panic tried to attack her." Aemon said with regret. "She burned him with her fire and flew away before I could stop her and although it has been fifty years she has never been seen since. So you see I know what it is to break a vow and one thing I can tell you is there are always consequences. But what matters is that you learn from what happened." Aemon told him, Jon nodded feeling more and more like a fool even if he still loved Ygritte with all his heart and hoped he could save her.

Still the question of what had happened to the dragon Aemon had hatched lingered, where had it gone and what was it doing now?

* * *

 _ **The Red Keep, Kings Landing…**_

Harry stood over the sleeping body of Kevan Lannister and grinned before apparating outside the room to a place where he would not be disturbed.

He had thought that as the right hand of his elder brother Kevan might know more about the state of Casterly Rock's finances and he was right, he got the information he needed with a truth potion and a memory charm to wipe any recollection of the interrogation and what he had discovered changed everything.

He pulled the small mirror out of his pocket and said with a grin like a shark.

"Rhaenys."

The image in the mirror blurred and his wife appeared on the surface.

"What is it? Everything going okay?" Rhaenys asked looking confused and worried given all that was happening. His grin relaxed her a little but given where he was she still worried.

"Everything is just fine my love, more than that I have just learned something very important about our enemies." Harry told her with confidence. "The gold mines of Casterly Rock are depleted, the Lannisters are bankrupt."

It took a few moments for it to sink in but soon Rhaenys' own face lit up and she started laughing, Harry laughed along with her as they both realised the Lannisters, the family that was known for its gold and the power that came with it were now effectively beggars beneath their facade of power and influence. It also made their alliance with the Tyrells make a lot more sense since they were now the wealthiest family in Westeros and the Lannisters desperately needed their gold to pay the Iron Bank before the loans were called in. When Harry and Rhaenys had finally got the laughs out of their systems Harry said.

"Perhaps this information should reach the Iron Bank and the rest of Westeros? I am sure everyone would find it most interesting."

"Absolutely." Rhaenys said now grinning widely herself. "Even if they don't completely believe it the rumours alone will sow doubt about the Lannisters."

"Indeed." Harry said closing the connection before he went to their remaining agents in the city and got the rumour mill going, it might take some time to spread but they would get the word out there not to mention send the news to Braavos where Tycho was sure to find it very useful.

He smirked as the fall of House Lannister was set into motion whispering quietly to himself.

"And now it begins."

 **\- x -**

Jaime looked down in disgust at his sister and her spawn as she fawned over him, it honestly made him worry she was grooming Joffrey to become her new bed partner but fortunately Joffrey seemed to find the idea as disgusting as he did and was pulling away from her slowly, no doubt due to the Rose Margaery's influence.

Joffrey eventually left to go and spend time with his future wife, leaving an outraged Cersei behind who instantly went to follow him before Jaime grabbed her by the wrist and she came around and went to slap him with her free hand but he grabbed that hand too.

"HOW DARE YOU! I' AM THE QUEEN! I' AM THE QUEEN!" Cersei yelled at him but Jaime just glared back at her unflinching as he said firmly.

"No you are the Queen Mother...you stopped being the queen the moment Robert Baratheon died and soon the Young Rose will be queen. Why can't you understand that?" Jaime asked not relinquishing his hold on her and his words only seemed to inflame his sister's anger more.

"YOU DARE TO TOUCH ME! TO QUESTION ME! A WASHED UP KNIGHT WHO GAVE UP ON BEING LORD!" Cersei screamed at him, her face vicious in its smile at his shock.

Until he slapped her.

The shock of the move actually stopped Cersei cold and Jaime let her fall to the floor while he looked down at her in disgust.

"It was as I recall your idea that I join the Kingsguard to be close to you when you decided you were destined to be Rhaegar's queen. But you are so repulsive that Rhaegar and Aerys both rejected you, only a loud mouthed drunk was willing to make you queen and you made a piss poor one at that. The only good thing that came out of us being together was our children and even they are slipping away from you. If they are gone what do you have left?" Jaime asked her and Cersei actually thought for a moment that it was their father talking to her given the cold and sharp way each word was delivered before he walked away leaving a scared and distraught Cersei behind him.

 **\- x -**

Harry meanwhile had been 'requested' to present the sword he had brought to Tywin Lannister in the Tower of the Hand. He was grinning slightly, if they were expecting a beautiful sword like _Dragon's Bane_ or one of the others he had given out over the years then they were going to be disappointed. All they had said was bring a sword and that was exactly what he had done, that and no more.

He entered the room and saw Tywin sitting at his desk, Harry knocked to let Tywin know he was here, the Lannister lord looked up from his desk and bid him to enter which Harry did putting the bundle containing the sword on the table. Tywin just raised an eyebrow before unwrapping it and staring at the blade.

"It is very plain." Tywin said critically at the rather bland and uninteresting sword, it had the ripples of Valyrian steel but no decoration just a standard pommel and cross-guard.

"The letter you sent demanded a new sword quickly and the artistic swords we have created in the past all took a few weeks to create, if of course you want a more elaborate design I can send it back to the islands and have it reforged." Harry said pleasantly, he had no intention of giving them such a beautiful sword but he had to play along for now. Tywin however said.

"That will not be necessary, there is a smith in Kings Landing capable of reforging Valyrian steel and he is quite able I assure you."

"As you wish Lord Lannister." Harry said, it was a small victory but he could take the sword back at any time so he wasn't too worried not to mention if everything went to plan Tywin would soon be dead.

"You have always been a vocal opponent of the alliance yet you took Dragonstone for us, brought the sword and are here for the wedding why?" Tywin asked his gaze sharp and for a moment Harry could honestly say he admired him before remembering just what Tywin was and all the things he'd done, however much he wanted to call him out on that he hid his feelings and said.

"To answer your question Lord Lannister I will ask one of my own, would a Lannister ever fight another Lannister?" Harry asked, knowing to keep Tywin's suspicions at a minimum. A man like him would always be suspicious but the less he was the better for their plans.

"Absolutely not." Tywin said with cold indifference, he would tolerate no infighting in his family, sniping in private perhaps but never public fighting. It was a sign of weakness in the house, one that his daughter delighted in showing the world in her prolonged campaign against Tyrion Tywin thought with annoyance.

"So why would it be any different in House Tyrell? My family is allying with you and I would never compromise House Tyrell's security by showing such a weakness for our enemies, as long as our houses are aligned then you have my support in spite of my father...if you will forgive me saying so it is a situation you yourself have experienced." Harry said adding the last part with a grain of truth and he would not do a thing publicly while the alliance held.

"Explain?" Tywin asked with his cold and penetrating stare trying to unnerve him but Harry just said simply while meeting his gaze.

"My father is an idiot who makes poor decisions that reflect badly on House Tyrell and make us a laughing stock around Westeros, he has no concept of the how others might view his actions or that there could be consequences. Making our banner-men question our right to rule...a situation you have some experience with." Harry told him, drawing a very obvious comparison between Tytos Lannister and Mace Tyrell. Tywin had been forced to save his house during the Reyne/Tarbeck Rebellion before he was even lord because of his father and now Harry was having to do the same due to Mace.

Tywin did not look like he liked the comparison of their situations but he could understand it and his shame at Mace so he nodded and they shared a glass of wine before parting company. While a confrontation did appeal to him on some levels Harry did not want to give Tywin the chance to learn any of what they were planning so the less he said the better.

However much to his own displeasure he found himself being followed by Baelish as he went to return to his rooms.

"A bit petty isn't it? Giving them such a bland sword?" Baelish asked with that mocking smirk that really irritated Harry but he kept a polite smile on his face with considerable effort, annoyed at the shit for his interruption and spying.

"I have no idea what you are talking about Lord Baelish." Harry said as pleasantly as he could, knowing full well this man had started the War between the Lannisters and the Starks to benefit himself and caused so much death and destruction it was taking a considerable effort for Harry to stop himself from just killing him here and now.

"I'm sure." Baelish said wondering how best to kill this Tyrell, not having quite decided on a method yet but was giving serious thought to having a whore stab him when he was 'off guard'. The thought of such a death on a 'war hero' amused him greatly. "Do you know how I got my scar Lord Tyrell?" Baelish asked.

"You challenged Brandon Stark for Catelyn Tully's hand, however you learned martial methods were not your...speciality." Harry said, Baelish had never made a great secret of the events like he was proud of them for making him who he was, Harry only wished that Brandon had done them a favour and killed the worm right there and then.

"That's right, I learned I was not going to win their way. If I couldn't beat them, I'd fuck them that's what I know, I was just wondering if you had learnt that lesson too." Baelish said with a smirk but there was a dangerous glint in his eye. Harry knew Baelish was implying that he was responsible for the destruction of all the man's holdings here in Kings Landing and in that he was right but there was no way he would admit it, the man was far too slippery.

"There are many ways to play the game Lord Baelish, it is always fluid and changing in the methods and objectives but its nature stays the same. Good day." Harry told him and walked away, leaving the Master of Coin smirking behind him but Harry was now on his guard knowing full well that the worm was planning something and he would need to be careful.

 **\- x -**

Back in the Tower of the Hand meanwhile Tywin Lannister received a surprise visit from Grand Maester Pycelle.

"My lord Hand, there are disturbing rumours going around the court." Tywin fully aware of how damaging rumours could be and if it was directed at him or his family he needed to know.

"Go on Grand Maester, what do they say?" Tywin asked his own mind already planning to squash them.

"They are saying that House Lannister has no gold left, that the real reason for your alliance with the Tyrells is they are now the richest house in Westeros. I know it is a falsehood but try as I might the words keep spreading wider."

Tywin was silent for a moment before telling Pycelle in a cold and unemotional voice.

"Leave me."

Pycelle vacated the room as fast as he could leaving a very worried Tywin Lannister behind, he sat at his desk and pondered who could possibly have discovered that particular piece of information. No one in his family would tell who knew and all the miners that could have spread the truth were killed in a tragic 'accident' in the mines. He had taken every care to silence anyone that might have talked but somehow it had started leaking out and although he would do everything in his power to squash it too heavier action would only make people believe it more. But worse he thought was if the Iron Bank learnt of the rumours and called in the loans, he honestly sat back in his chair and put his hand to his face, just when he thought he had control of the situation again another problem threatens to tear down all he has built. He would not let it Tywin resolved to himself, vowing to find the source of these whispers and crush it.

* * *

 _ **A few days later…**_

The castle was up early the day of the wedding, making preparations for the massive spectacle not to mention the enormous seventy seven course feast that would follow the ceremony, the dancing dwarves were practising with the musicians tuning their instruments and servants rushing to prepare everything that still needed to be done.

Harry and Arya were making preparations of their own, Arya was helping in setting up the tables for the feast while concealing her poison vials ahead of time since the Kingsguard were going to search the servants for poisons or weapons before they were allowed anywhere near the food or important guests let alone the king.

King, Arya honestly wanted to laugh at the thought all Joffrey was is a mad and vicious fool and today his past misdeeds would catch up to him. However one thing she was going to do was kill the Kingsguard that searched her as he actually slapped her on the ass, laughing as he said her ass was the finest he had seen. She committed his face to her memory and vowed to get him once her mission was done, her eyes darkening as she got ready for this afternoon.

Harry meanwhile felt uncomfortable with the lack of weapons upon his person although the weight of his dragon ring was of some comfort, also his 'smart clothes' were made of basilisk leather which was as tough as chain-mail but it had been dyed black and in some areas dark green with golden embroidery to give it a more decorative look for special occasions although he rarely wore it. He wore no other jewellery, he did not care for showing off with flashy gold or silver.

However there was one thing he had to do before going to the Great Sept.

The Tyrell guards immediately permitted his entry to his family's current set of rooms in the Red Keep and came to his sister's room where she was getting ready for her big day.

Harry's breath stopped in his throat when he saw her, his sister was truly a vision with her light brown hair done up in an elegant knot which then fell into waves, her beautiful face done carefully up with make up and her white silk dress showing her mature figure. She turned to look who it was that was entering her room and her face showed her shock at the sight of him.

"Harry." She said with a slight smile, she had been scared he was not going to come.

"You look like a goddess amongst us mortals dear sister." Harry said with a smile, crossing the room and taking her hand in his.

"I was afraid you weren't going to come." She admitted now smiling herself before looking to her feet sheepishly. "Harry I know about Jasen, I didn't realise father would do that." She said nervously. Harry meanwhile took a very gentle hold of her chin and lifted her gaze to his.

"I know sister for you would never be that stupid, with the exception of myself as I like to think it is the women of our family who are born with the intelligence." He said and Margaery laughed surprising him that she did not reprimand him for insulting their father so. "On a more serious note though, sister are you sure that you want to marry Joffrey?"

The atmosphere of the room instantly changed, becoming tense and awkward and Margaery lost her smile, averting her gaze again not able to look her brother in the eye before she answered.

"No...no I don't. Renly was gentle and kind, Joffrey is mad and vicious, I struggle to temper his cruelty and I honestly do not know if I can hold it back forever. If I had children with him, would they too be mad and vicious? I…I can't say any more." Margaery said sounding like she was more scared than she let on before throwing herself into her brother's arms and burying her head in his chest. Harry wrapped his arms around and gently whispered soothing sounds in her ear, her composed and confident facade disappearing in the privacy of this moment. His sister had always been protected her entire life and while she knew of danger and cruelty she had never experienced it herself, masks were worn by all and his sister's had now come off. She was still his brilliant beautiful sister who could charm the birds from the trees in his eyes but her inner anxieties and fears for the future stirred beneath the surface. Everyone Harry thought to himself had their fears and moments of doubt and his sister was so confident most of the time, like their grandmother who felt she had little to fear given her age. Margaery did not have that confidence of age yet so right now she needed some comforting.

Besides he thought to reassure himself she would not be married for long.

* * *

As he later stood in the Great Sept and watched Joffrey lay his hands on his sister Harry had to struggle hard not to kill the bastard on the spot but restrained himself, knowing it would not last to the wedding night. Oberyn at his side likewise was plotting although he had a different target in mind. Harry felt the eyes of Olenna on him but only looked her way briefly, Mace however actually glared at him for not bringing Jasen to the capital as commanded which made Harry glare too and Mace withered instantly.

As they moved to the elaborate wedding feast Harry honestly thought in the most wasteful affair that you could imagine, especially when winter was fast approaching and they had just emerged from a bloody war. He saw the now blonde Arya moving silently amongst the tables serving wine but did not acknowledge her, she had something to do and him calling attention to her would only make that impossible.

 **\- x -**

Arya was working hard to get close enough to her targets but much to her frustration was continuously being diverted by people wanting more wine, she had been told that the poison once ingested would take about ten minutes to start working so once she poisoned her first target that was all the time she had to get the other two so she was really getting worried that she might be delayed by this constant want for wine. Finally though she managed to get close to the main table and her targets. Joffrey already to her disgust was drunk and she easily slipped some drops of the poison into his wine before turning to her next target, the organiser of the Red Wedding Tywin Lannister but nearly froze with horror at what she saw when she looked.

Tywin was not drinking.

Her face despite her efforts showed her worry as he did not touch any wine at all, if he did drink it was water brought to him by his own private servant who had a large jug of it that he let no one else touch.

FUCKING HELL! Arya thought to herself now becoming angry, Tywin was the most dangerous of all their enemies and she could not get close enough to finish him. Her frustration making her scowl, only when a voice sounded behind her did she realise her cover was slipping.

"Forgive but have we met before?"

Arya's eyes instant froze in fright and she slowly turned around to see Petyr Baelish, the man that had killed her father and started the war that had led to her brothers and mother dying too, she averted her eyes and curtsied quickly hoping that he would not recognise her but when she went to leave he grabbed her arm and pulled her around, she realised that she only had seconds to react and while he was looking into her startled eyes she managed to pour the rest of her poison into his still full cup.

Baelish smirked and his eyes were dark and pitiless, Arya was about ready to use the unarmed combat moves Jaqen had taught her and escape the Red Keep when he let go and said with his mocking sarcastic tone.

"I must be mistaken. On your way." He told her taking a sip of his wine while she retreated, glad to have gotten two of her targets but the way he grabbed her arm and looked her straight in the eye had honestly made her heart beat fiercely with anticipation. He had known exactly who she was and was no doubt looking for a way to use her, although she looked like a Stark she had enough of her mother in her to guess his intent and it made her shiver in revulsion.

She disappeared quickly, rushing to the catacombs where she could hide in the passages she had discovered on her earlier days here, it was also where she had hidden some fresh clothes to change out of her dress. She would have loved to see Joffrey and Baelish suffer she had to get disappear in case someone remembered the blonde haired serving girl that had been hanging around and then vanished, so the moment she was alone she drank the potion Lord Tyrell had given her and her hair instantly reverted to its natural dark brown and she pulled off her dress, glad to be rid of it before slipping into her preferred breeches and leather outfit. The comfortable weight of her dagger and _Needle_ at her waist and her own natural hair was a big relief as she made her way through the streets of Kings Landing to the safe-house Lord Tyrell had selected as their meeting place.

 **\- x -**

Harry meanwhile was watching for the first sign of Valyria's Torment kicking it while enduring the ridiculous performing dwarves, he too had noticed Tywin was being too careful for Arya to get close and the near miss with Baelish but other than that things had gone well.

Then just as he was thinking that Joffrey and Baelish started wincing with their hands going to their bellies and soon falling to their knees as pain ripped through their bodies...slowly at first concentrating in the gut but then spreading outwards quickly.

As Joffrey fell the festivities stopped immediately, Cersei threw her goblet aside and rushed over followed by Jaime Lannister. They knelt at his side as he gritted his teeth and his face become red with tears running down his face.

"MOTHER HELP! IT HURTS!" Joffrey said clearly in agony and she desperately caressed his face before screaming.

"PYCELLE! GET OVER HERE!" The old grandmaester moved with impressive speed for his advanced years and was there like a bolt of lightning, Baelish meanwhile was being tended to by the Knights of the Vale that he had brought with him and in just as much pain. Harry although he had no sympathy for either Joffrey or Baelish winced at their agony, wondering if he should have used a more fast acting poison but these thoughts were hijacked as he saw Joffrey point a shaking finger at Tyrion and guards seizing him. Harry frowned and realised one lesson he should have taught Arya, that no matter how well you plan something there always will be something that goes wrong.

Now he had help Tyrion, his own conscience would demand nothing less.

After sending Arya back to Bloodstone he thought, she was in danger the longer she was in the city.

So that night he left his room secretly and went to the safe-house where Arya was waiting, the first thing he noticed about her when he entered the room where she was sitting on the bed looking conflicted.

"So you killed Joffrey and Baelish, was it everything you hoped?" Harry asked her, serious about it as he needed to know what she was taking away from this. If she had enjoyed the kill then it was a warning of a potential monster in the making but he hoped not, no decent person ever liked to kill.

"No...not really." Arya admitted looking slightly depressed and energy-less which was sad to Harry who had grown to like her strong and determined spirit. "I thought for so long that if I killed them I would make things better for people but really what has changed? People are still starving, the Lannisters still rule the city, corrupt people still take without anyone caring for others. All I really achieved was freeing the Vale from Baelish and your sister from Joffrey." Arya admitted, Harry nodded glad she had learnt from this.

"Nothing is ever perfect and ambitious people will always step on those in the way of what they want but the bad people only win if people who know better stop fighting, it is good that you don't enjoy killing, that you only do it when you have too. Only monsters really enjoy killing." He said handing her the portkey that would take her back to Bloodstone, she took it and disappeared back to the islands leaving Harry to wonder just how he was going to help Tyrion.

* * *

Tyrion's trial was convened very quickly the very next day in fact, too fast since Joffrey was still alive as was Baelish although Pycelle was struggling hard and failing miserably to treat them. Harry watched from the side as Tyrion was set up more and more for murder...witnesses if you could call them that were all put on the stand all giving either exaggerated stories of Tyrion plotting to kill his nephew or outright lies from people Harry was sure had never even really met Tyrion and he was not even allowed to speak a word in his defence. Seeing his father stand as one of the judges was enough to make Harry shake his head in shame, how pathetic a man Mace was Tywin might as well have him on a leash and drag him around like a dog, the only person who might give Tyrion a chance was Oberyn who also sat up there as the third judge but soon it was apparent to everyone that the verdict had been reached well in advance.

It was a show trial, the only question Tyrion was ever asked was what poison he had used on Joffrey so that they might cure him but of course Tyrion could not answer that and stood there looking increasingly angry as each layer of insult was piled on. Harry felt a deep stab sympathy especially as Tyrion's lover Shae took the stand against him, the words coming out of her mouth clearly Cersei's and his father Tywin seemingly in league with his daughter to destroy his own son. Harry honestly could not imagine what their upbringing had been like and was amazed with a father like that Jaime and Tyrion had turned out to be such good men. He caught Shae's eyes during Tyrion's speech and gave her a look of disgust that made the woman shiver with fear.

However he was broken from his thoughts as Tyrion launched into a speech about how he had been on trial for being a dwarf his entire life and how he had not killed Joffrey, all the hatred and loathing he had for those in court and everyone who treated him with such undeserved hatred after he had saved the city from Stannis spilling out like poison. Harry wanted to march up there and break the chains that held him there but he did not, because what Tyrion said next was the smartest thing he could have done in the circumstances.

"I will not give my life for Joffrey's murder and I know I'll get no justice here, so I will let the gods decide my fate. I demand a trial by combat."

The crowd all started shouting in disbelief and anger at this unexpected turn of events as Tywin and Tyrion glared at each other, Jaime on the side was looking glad that Tyrion had found a possible way out but worried at who he might call on to fight for him. As a Kingsguard he could not do it and his father would not allow any of their banner-men too, so who might Tyrion ask to fight for him. It was a question that worried Jaime a lot that night.

 **\- x -**

Seeing her hated brother torn to pieces in the trial would have given Cersei great pleasure but she was too distracted as she sat by Joffrey's bedside for seven days straight, moping his brow and feeding him Milk of the Poppy to try and ease his pain.

Tears ran down her face as she looked at her boy in so much pain that they had been forced to tie him to the bed posts so he didn't injure himself or tear at his own flesh. She tried to pour the potion to kill the pain down his throat but his teeth and jaw were so tightly clenched that she had to pry them open to get it down his throat which only made her sorrow and fear grow.

"Mother! IT HURTS SO MUCH!" Joffrey said through rapid breaths and Cersei mopped his brow.

"I know! I know!" She said not caring about how much emotion she displayed or how shabby her appearance had become, she only wanted her son to get better but nothing worked! No potion the maesters produced or praying had done a thing to stop it, all they could do is slightly dull the agony her golden lion suffered from with Milk of the Poppy and that was short lived at best.

Her desperation only seemed to get worse as the words of Maggy the Frog echoed in her ears, still so clear after many years.

' _Gold shall be their crowns and gold their shrouds. And when your tears have drowned you, the valonqar shall wrap his hands around your pale white throat and choke the life from you.'_

No she thought with hatred enforced determination, she would not let that happen! Joffrey was not going to die! Myrcella was not going to die! Tommen would not die!

But Tyrion would die she vowed while squeezing Joffrey's clenched fist, if he was dead he could never be the one to kill her.

She looked away for a moment towards the door, half expecting him to be there to witness his handy work when she felt Joffrey's grip slacken on her hand. She turned back hoping that the Milk of the Poppy had eased his pain and saw his relaxed face breathing a sigh of relief that her boy was no longer in pain until she saw his eyes were blank and his chest still.

Cersei froze as the horrible reality that her son had passed from this world.

"Joffrey! JOFFREY!" She said desperately shaking her son to try and get him to respond, only to do it harder when he did not. "NO! NO!" She yelled as the reality sank in and tears flowed thick and fast down her face. Pycelle stood helpless at the door as Cersei let out a scream that made all that heard it shiver, the howl of agony and pain that few could ever comprehend.

 **\- x -**

Not far away Petyr Baelish was being tended to by servants to try and ease his own pain but like Joffrey nothing was working.

"So this is how it ends? ON A BED IN THE RED KEEP WITH NONE OF MY DESIRES FULFILLED!" Petyr snarled, shouting the last bit to the ceiling as if aimed at the gods themselves in rage for his downfall, he might have gotten caught up in his own victory at getting the war he wanted and more of the precious power and influence he had always dreamed of. Ending House Stark for the humiliation and all they had stolen from him but he had forgotten that survival in the great game depended on constant vigilance and he had let his guard down. Who had poisoned him? He didn't know and didn't care, all he wanted was relief for the pain and that involved drinking milk of the poppy by the bucket load.

Then he started to hear something as he struggled to breathe, a laughing sound that had haunted his dreams for so long.

"No!" Petyr said in a terrified whisper, it couldn't be. A face started forming in front of his eyes, handsome many would have said with a long face and grey eyes and always laughing directly at him. As he slipped into the darkness of the next world all Baelish could hear was the laughter of Brandon Stark, his most hated enemy ringing in his ears forever as the Stark heir looked down at him without end and the faces of Catelyn and Eddard Stark joining in the laughter. He tried to scream but could not make a sound as they mocked him for eternity.

* * *

Harry later that night made his way to the Black Cells to speak to Tyrion and offer to help him but stopped when he heard Oberyn's familiar voice sounding through the door, he did not interrupt as Oberyn told Tyrion the story of what had happened on he and Elia's visit to Casterly Rock many years ago. As he listened to what Cersei had done, nearly pulling the baby Tyrion's cock off Harry felt another stab of sympathy, honestly had no idea of how bad Tyrion's early life must have been...was that why he drank so much Harry thought with sadness? To dull the memory and the pain he had gone through? Harry's own had been idyllic, never wanting or being hurt always protected by others.

How lucky he had been, it was a humbling to hear how Tyrion a man born into a noble house had suffered and he doubted that the torments had ever really stopped. Harry looked to the floor before pushing the door to the cell open and walking in, surprising both Tyrion and Oberyn.

"Sorry to interrupt, I will leave you both in peace in a moment. I just came to offer my services." Harry said standing in the doorway with a torch in hand.

"Your services?" Tyrion looked up, keeping his hopes at bay after Bronn had dashed them by betraying him for a castle that his sister would never deliver. Shae's betrayal though was even worse as he had loved her, actually given her his heart only to for her to trample all over it for his sister's coin…just like a cheap whore he thought mockingly what she had always been and now he realised always would be.

"I will be your champion." Harry said with a smile, causing Tyrion to nearly let a tear that was threatening to fall run free down his face but settled for a relieved gasp. Oberyn too smiled and said with a humour.

"You beat me to the punch, you have more friends in this city than you know Tyrion Lannister." Oberyn told Tyrion and Harry left the two of them to talk before leaving to do something that he had to do.

He was suppressing his emotions as he went to his grandmother's rooms, knocking and being allowed to enter. He saw Margaery and Olenna sitting at a table, no doubt planning her wedding to Tommen and how she would wrap the young lad around her finger.

"Harry." Margaery said with a small smile, no doubt still unsettled by the events of the wedding but Harry although understanding her feelings knew he had to speak to her.

"I take it the plan is once Joffrey dies for you to marry Tommen?" He asked and before either of them could respond he said with a glare. "Let me give me some advice dear sister...don't."

The pair of women looked at him with shock and while Olenna just raised an eyebrow and stared at him challengingly, Margaery was shocked and asked.

"Why?" Her favourite brother had always been against the alliance with the Lannisters but never had he spoken like this.

"You have been married twice now sister untouched by both your husbands and made a widow twice as Joffrey if he is not dead yet soon will be. Trying to become Queen is making people view you as a curse, that any man you marry comes to a sticky end. That is not your fault but it is how people will see you if you continue this path and I do not want my sister to be treated like that, not to mention I have no desire to tear our family apart when the time comes." Harry said bluntly, he wanted his sister safe and happy not on the opposite of the war to come.

Margaery was taken aback by her brother's harsh words which in some ways echoed her earlier thought but the way he said 'tear our family apart' instantly put a chill up her spine.

"What do you mean?" She asked him, her eyes wary and alert like Olenna who suddenly realised what he meant and her eyes widened in shock as it set in.

Harry meanwhile was struck with indecision, he loved his sister he really did and wanted her to be safe but given her great ambition and desire to be queen he was not sure he could trust her fully, especially as if their plans succeeded she would never wear a crown. It was an enormous risk to tell her even part of the truth when she could run to the Lannisters and reveal it now. He could lie but what could he say to explain himself, now cursing his choice of words but he couldn't take them back. They were still blood as Kanoro had pointed out and that had to count for something he hoped, despite Cersei, Tywin and Tyrion all proving to the contrary.

It was a leap of faith but one he had to take to give his sister a chance.

So he stepped forward and whispered in her ear about Rhaenys, the dragons and what they were planning to do with them. Her face morphed into a looked of terrified shock as she took in all the details that previously had been hidden from her especially about her goodsister, while she would never admit it she had felt superior to the woman her brother had married for quite a while having been born a Westeros noble and unfortunately picked up some of her father's opinions on foreigners but now was mortified to discover just who she had been talking too.

A Targaryen Princess, the rightful heir to Iron Throne and more critically the first dragon rider in centuries who could destroy them on whim and the only reason that she and Harry had not already seized the throne was to systematically remove opposition before the real fight began to minimise casualties.

"Why are you telling me this?" Margaery asked, really afraid of her brother for the first time in her life, he had always been caring and protective of her and came when she asked him too but now he seemed like a complete stranger as for the first time she was confronted with how little she knew about him.

"I am giving you the decision about who to stand with, as it is you have two choices Margaery." Harry told her sternly. "You can tell the Lannisters and Mace what I have just told you, they no doubt will try to hold me as a hostage while plotting to kill my wife and our children but I assure you that will not happen." Harry told her with a hard glint in his eye. "It might ensure you become queen but forever will we be enemies. The other option is that you keep what I have told your secret and give up on being queen, find yourself a husband of your own choosing and when the time comes either stay neutral or support me and my wife. I won't hurt you in either option but whether we are family depends on what you do next. It is in your hands." Harry finished and gave Olenna a nod before leaving Margaery.

Olenna was torn having hoped it would not come to this, Tommen would be an easily controllable king and Tywin would not live forever. They would hold influence over the young king once his grandfather had done the realm a favour and died, but now her youngest grandson had revealed that he and his wife going to make a play for the throne when they had sworn to her they had no interest in it. She could only guess Mace's idiotic decision had forced their hand but that they had managed to acquire dragons was what really scared her, near unstoppable beasts of destruction that could be unleashed on a whim. What would people say of her grandson and great-grandchildren she asked herself? More mad kings and queens but there was nothing she could do to stop it however it did bring her a small measure of comfort that her grandson and his children would be royalty.

Margaery meanwhile was in turmoil, she had never imagined one week could bring such devastation to her own future plans ever since she was a little girl she had been told she would be a queen. She had actually believed it for a while until she realised that she would have to work hard and scheme to get it, but now she had decide whether or not it was worth pursuing. Her brother was about to make his own attend on the throne and his wife would be queen, the only way she realised she could ever be queen would be to betray him and go to the Lannisters with what she knew to make sure she would be Tommen's queen. But that would mean betraying her brother and here he was telling her his plans and putting it all in her hands.

She was torn, she had for the first time in her life no idea just what to do. Either way she was stabbing her family in the back. Betray her father and forfeit the chance to be queen or stab her brother Harry in the back and likely either be killed with the rest of the Lannisters or banished once they had the throne as with dragons there was a good chance they would succeed. She honestly cringed at all the bad decisions her father had made over their lives never mind before then, mistakes that could have been the end of House Tyrell if not for their grandmother and later her brother. She was no fool, he was not a good lord and had heard whispers from their vassals that once Mace was dead it would be better for the Reach if the lordship of Highgarden went straight to Harry rather than Loras as while Loras was not as foolish as their father he was not much better, after all that was what had gotten them into bed with Renly which had turned out to be a colossal waste of time.

Her indecision was tearing her apart, she had to make a choice but either way she 'lost'. She turned to Olenna who just shook her head gently, letting her know she was not going to make this decision for her. Irritated a bit by her grandmother for not helping Margaery realised she had choose between her father who had never not treated her like a princess and loved her, and her brother who had trusted her with his secrets and loved her too.

It was going to a long night she thought as she deliberated on just what to do.

 **\- x -**

As Harry was wandering back to his room, he honestly was not sure he had done the right thing trusting his sister but if he and Rhaenys were going to rule then they had to be decisive and trust their judgement so he would wait to see just what she did. He had his magic to escape if he needed too but was distracted from his current worries when he saw Ser Jaime Lannister stumbling along the corridors.

"Ser Jaime? What is wrong?" Harry asked now worried for Jaime and on one level glad for the distraction given what he had done.

"The king! Another one dead on my watch! My son!" Jaime slurred with his eyes full of grief and Harry was suddenly reminded rather forcefully that Joffrey for all his sins was still a boy and more importantly he was Jaime's son even if the boy had no chance of improving as a human being. Harry was confronted with the pain he had inflicted on a man that he respected and felt a hard stab of guilt, doing his best to ease the man's pain he helped him towards his room and said.

"Tommen and Myrcella are great children and you should be proud, Tommen will be a king soon and Myrcella from what Oberyn told me has stolen the heart of Prince Trystane. In Dorne she will be happy and always be a princess as will her children." Harry said guessing from his words that Joffrey was dead.

"But my son!" Jaime said and Harry took him by the arm and started helping him to his room and stopped for a moment as the bells rang out, in a tone that signified the death of a king.

* * *

The following morning Harry was awoken by insistent banging on his door, Harry had always been early to rise so he quickly got to his feet and called out.

"What is it?" It was Loras' voice that answered him and he sounded anxious.

"Harry! Margaery...we need a family meeting now!" Loras was sounded desperate so Harry shrugged on his tunic and breeches before grabbing his weapons and opening the door.

"What has happened!" Harry asked with wariness, it looked like he was about to find out whether his decision to tell his sister the truth was the right one.

"Not here." Loras said his eyes moving warily around the room, expecting someone to be there and while this did seem over the top few people noticed the 'staff' as they went about their daily jobs, treating them like furniture which is why so many were effective spies. Harry nevertheless followed Loras through the corridors of the Red Keep to Margaery's room where his sister sat defiantly glaring at her father with Dickon Tarly sitting at her side who was cowering under the glare of his father Lord Randyll. Standing at different sides of the room where an angry looking Mace who looked so purple he might burst as opposed to a tired looking Olenna and very irritated Randyll Tarly.

"About time." Mace said shortly looking at him and Loras with annoyance. "Your sister has decided to act like a whore and bed the first man that came to her bed. Then marry him!"

In the blink of an eye Harry responded to that comment by grabbing Mace by the arm, twisted it behind his back and painfully shoved him into the wall. Everyone was shocked at the move and how fast Harry moved, especially as he twisted Mace's arm hard to cause him more pain. His sister gave him a grateful smile which he returned, not sure she had to go this far to get out of marrying Tommen but was glad she seemed to have sided with him.

"Never call my sister a whore." Harry whispered in Mace's arm with an angry hiss as he turned his attention back to him. He gave him another painful twist nearly breaking Mace's arm before letting him go. Randyll having watched the scene between Mace and Harry with interest decided to vent his own anger, directly squarely at Dickon.

"After your brother proved such a fucking disappointment are you trying to follow his example?" Randyll said Dickon withering beneath his gaze. "Is your sister and her children going to be my only hope for a decent heir?"

"Margaery is still in line to be queen if we wed her to Tommen, I cannot decide how to cover this up though." Mace said once Harry had released him added but Harry walking over to stand at his sister's side and put a comforting hand on her shoulder which she very much appreciated. He would have sympathy for Dickon against a manipulator like his sister when she had set her sights on him he had not chance.

"Tommen is nearly a decade younger than Margaery! It will be a few years yet before he can even give her a proper wedding night. As for covering it up, why not just wed Margaery to Dickon again in public and no one will be any the wiser even if there is a pregnancy." Harry told them with disdain, wedding his fully grown sister to that child was just a waste in his mind especially with his desire to end the Lannister/Tyrell alliance. All of them looked at him with shock.

"But the Lannisters? Margaery being queen! Our power in the capital!" Mace spluttered, his eyes fearful now Harry had made him aware of how much he hated him and Harry went on the offensive to push his point.

"WHAT POWER?" Harry asked with a laugh. "Tywin Lannister rules this city and anything we get is scraps from his table, what places do we have on the Small Council? At court? What new lands have we gotten? Nothing! We have gained nothing from associating with the Lannisters except a bill for a pointless wedding totalling thousands of dragons!" Harry said to press home the point. "Dickon is a man not a boy...he comes from a wealthy and noble family that has served with distinction for years and given what I know of him unlike Joffrey he would never hurt her." Harry said giving Margaery a reassuring smile which she gratefully returned and Dickon perked up a bit at the compliment although he shrunk back into himself with a glare from Randyll who nevertheless was looking towards Harry with a bit more respect. Mace looked ready to burst at his idea and Olenna did not look exactly happy either although Loras did seem to support him by nodding in agreement.

"Besides." Harry said deciding to play a trump card. "If the rumour of the Lannisters having no gold left is true and given we had to pay for more than half the wedding I think it likely then we would be best breaking this alliance now before they drain our treasuries and leave us with nothing."

Olenna felt annoyed at the chance to have an even more malleable king for them to control slip through their grasp but she had to agree the Lannisters looked like a sinking ship that she did not want to go down with and if it kept Randyll loyal she could accept Margaery marrying into House Tarly. Especially since if Harry and his wife were successful she would still see her grandchild on the Iron Throne and her great-grandson as the heir.

"No!" Mace said stubbornly. "Marrying Tommen would make her queen!" and Harry really wanted to punch him as his arrogance and ignorance just got too much to bare.

"Shut up Mace!" Olenna said with her extra-specially harsh glare that silenced Mace instantly. Harry gave her a grateful smile before turning to Lord Tarly and making an offer to sweeten the pot so to speak.

"I will pay her dowry, ten thousand dragons and provide a unique gift to House Tarly. A Valyrian steel shield with your house's banner emblazoned on it, since you have a Valyrian sword already it would not be fitting to offer you another. Even if you don't use it in battle it would still be a striking heirloom." Harry said with the same nonchalance you might talking about the weather, stunning his audience into agreeing to his proposal. Randyll nodded his agreement graciously.

* * *

 _ **The Following Day…**_

The crowd gathered around the pit where the trial by combat would be held, in the stands around the still yet to be crowned Tommen was Tywin and Jaime. Cersei had been so overwrought by Joffrey's slow and painful death that Pycelle had put her to sleep with his potions until she calmed down, which she would later despise them all for hoping she might have seen her brother's last chance at freedom die and avenge her boy.

Jaime stood guard over Tommen with a slight hangover from his heavy drinking the night before but he with force of will maintained a brutally hard vigil over his king (and secret son), he was never going to allow something to kill any more of his children this vow he made to himself and himself alone. With Brienne having fled the castle he had precious few people to talk to and while he could not help Tyrion he was glad that Harry Tyrell was defending him, one of the best warriors in the Seven Kingdoms.

 **\- x -**

Harry wearing his armour and swords walked proudly into the area and across from him saw just who Tywin had chosen to fight him, the six other members of the Kingsguard other than Jaime Lannister of course. Tywin must be banking on their greater number to take him down but Harry as he took his helm from Loras who gave him an encouraging if worried nod was alert and already sizing up his enemies, ready to take them out quickly and decisively. He looked around before slipping his helm over his head and gave a reassuring smile to Tyrion who still looked concerned before looking over to his own family and to his surprise saw the Tyrells sitting with the Martells in the stand. Olenna actually sitting next to Oberyn while Ellaria sat on the other side, looking on with a smirk that might have been permanently have been carved into their faces. Mace looked revolted at the bastard Ellaria being so close and cast a lot of dirty looks at Margaery who sat with her new betrothed/secret husband Dickon Tarly and his father alongside the Tyrell/Martell party. A thing that Tywin had not missed and while he showed no emotion Harry had to wonder just what was going through the Old Lion's head at the sight and what it might mean...a strategic alliance between the Tyrells and Martells was something that would be a disaster for the Lannisters especially with their own alliance with the Tyrells unravelling.

However Harry put those thoughts aside and concentrated on what he had to do now, most of them he knew were not capable swordsmen like Jaime Lannister and had been awarded their position as either a reward for loyalty or being vicious enough to be useful like the three Kettleblack brothers who had been knighted after the Battle of Blackwater Bay despite not having done any fighting and all had given evidence against Tyrion despite hardly ever meeting the man. They all Harry noticed had the same hooked nose, dark hair and cruel smile, just Cersei's sort of men and potential dangerous so Harry knew to be careful.

The other three though had been on Robert's Kingsguard, the first two Boros Blout and Preston Greenfield were appointed solely due to them being Lannister men. Neither was skilled with a sword or lance but what did that matter as long to Tywin as long as they were loyal.

The final member of the six Kingsguard knights facing him was the sole member that was really worth a damn, Ser Arys Oakheart. A knight from the Reach he was capable with a sword and should really have been guarding Myrcella in Dorne but Joffrey had ordered him to return the moment she was delivered there, wanting all of his knights to protect him, another example of cowardice from the Boy King. Arys actually posed a problem for Harry as one of his allies was House Oakheart who had fought under him in the Coastal War and since they would need allies in the war that he had and his wife was slowly building up too he would prefer it not to have to fight and potentially kill Arys in case it angered his family but what else could he do Harry thought with annoyance.

The horn announced the beginning of the trial and Pycelle stumbled out into the centre of the ring and started speaking.

"In the sights of Gods and men we gather to ascertain the guilt or innocence of this...man Tyrion Lannister." Pycelle said in a wheezing tone that made him sound constantly out of breath. "May the Mother grant him mercy, may the Father give them such justice as they deserve and may the Warrior guide the arm of our champion." Whatever else the old man might have said was stopped by the trumpet telling the champions to take their places in the centre ring, urged on by an impatient Tywin who stared down imperiously at them all.

Pycelle left the arena and Harry and the six Kingsguard stepped into it, Harry pulled _Orphanmaker_ and _Blackfyre_ from their sheaths while the Kingsguard did theirs and held their shields closer. For a moment there was a spilt second of absolute calm as the fighters all stared at each other, not a sound could be heard except for their own heartbeats until the Kingsguard charged.

Harry seeing multiple blades coming at him started twirling his own swords in front of him to deflect the attacks away from himself, his mind shutting out all other thoughts as he concentrated on the fight and just where all his enemies were. He moved backwards to avoid the charge and then saw Ser Boros in a fury try to break through his defence but had overextended himself, leaving an opening that Harry exploited with a flick of his wrist, slashing clean across Boros' throat. Blood splattered on the ground and the man fell to the floor choking on his own blood.

The crowd gasped at how quickly a member of the Kingsguard had fallen, within a minute of the duel and Harry's family and friends all felt a little better as the first one fell.

Ser Preston was next, rushing in too fast to avenge his sworn brother Harry only had to move _Orphanmaker_ slightly to the left and thrust, impaling Preston straight through the chest.

Pulling his sword free and letting the man fall death from a sword to the heart Harry summed up the situation. His opponents had rallied and now surrounded him in a circle, not sure exactly sure where the attack was going to come from next Harry held his swords towards daring them as his eyes moved from each one to attack.

The youngest Kettleblack was the first followed closely by his brothers and Ser Arys but Harry did not allow them to box him in, carefully but swiftly he kept moving around the ring while using both swords to block their strikes in quick succession. Harry waited patiently while he defended, conserving his own energy as much as possible while keeping the fight moving and waiting for a chance to strike while his enemies wasted their energy by attacking his staunch defence.

 **\- x -**

From the side of the arena Tyrion looked on with worry, not least because his own life hung in the balance, he saw Oberyn smirking and asked with his deep baritone.

"Is there something amusing Prince Oberyn about one man fighting to the death to save another?" Tyrion asked annoyed that his life was some kind of joke to the Dornish Prince but Oberyn and Ellaria merely smiled not fazed at all and Oberyn explained the source of his amusement.

"He is toying with them, leading them to where he wants them until he is ready to end the fight on his own terms. You need not worry Lord Tyrion, he has it well in hand." Oberyn said to reassure him although Tyrion was not sure he was entirely convinced by the Prince's words. The only pleasure he could take from this was the look of concern on his father's face as things started for him at least to go wrong.

 **\- x -**

Back in the fight meanwhile Harry spotted one of the Kettleblacks, Osney was starting to flag and slow so he used one sword to hook the edge of his shield and push it aside before stabbing the other right through his neck before quickly pulling it out.

His two brothers enraged by the death of their brother replaced skill with fury as they renewed but Harry kept up his defence before managing to score a kick to the knee of Osmund Kettleblack, the man buckled briefly but it was enough to slash his throat open with a well aimed blow from _Blackfyre_ which left Harry facing the two most dangerous of his opponents; Arys Oakheart and Osfryd Kettleblack.

Neither man dared move into the attack immediately having seen what happened to the others but that did not last for long, Osfryd was wheezing from lack of breath but soon his anger towards the death of his brothers overpowered his better sense and he charged but again Harry kept them on the move until with a well aimed jab to the arm he deprived Osfryd of his shield. The man did not give up however and tried an overhead strike with both hands on his long sword which was a fatal mistake as Harry use _Orphanmaker_ to block that attack while stabbing _Blackfyre_ through the gaps in his plate armour and into his chest.

Pulling his sword free and leaving Osfryd to fall to the ground dead Harry turned his attention to the last member Ser Arys Oakheart.

The man did not look afraid Harry thought, that was something that made him easier to admire. He had a dedication and of all the knights sworn into the Kingsguard sworn in since Jaime Lannister he was the only one that deserved to wear that white cloak. Harry didn't want to kill such a man and decided to make one last appeal as they stared at each other across the ring.

"It doesn't have to end like this Ser Oakheart, yield." Harry said which made a fair few of the crowd watching gasp and chatter amongst themselves while Tywin glared at him and Arys. His own family and Oberyn all looked over with anticipation while Tyrion honestly had no idea just what to think.

"I have my duty, you have yours. That is the life I choose." Ser Arys said sadly and raised his sword again which only made Harry sad as he raised his own, both of them ready to end this fight.

The crowd watched with baited breath as the last two combatants circled each other, each running through moves they could make and what their opponent might do. It was like a mental game of cyvasse played against each other until finally one of them moved.

Ser Arys was the one to move, running into the engagement with a blitzing fury of strikes that Harry easily countered before knocking away his sword arm and making a decision in a split second, delivered a punch to his unprotected neck which caused the poor knight to gag for breath before Harry finished the fight with a hard whack to the head with his sword's pommel, knocking Arys unconscious.

The entire arena stopped and stared at the sight in front of them, nearly entire legendary Kingsguard completely defeated by just one man a skilled swordsman and war hero in their eyes but still just one man. Jaime allowed a small smile to appear on his face, the gods must have been smiling on Tyrion after all given he had gotten such a good warrior to fight for him.

Harry meanwhile looked over to Pycelle who seemed paralysed with indecision, not wanting to upset Lord Tywin who was glaring at Harry with a cold stare that could freeze water but knowing the protocol for such things. Eventually Tywin himself spoke although he looked like a mad lion that had been denied a meal with great fury in his eyes.

"The Gods have spoken, Tyrion Lannister you have been judged innocent of the murder of his grace Joffrey Baratheon and Lord Petyr Baelish. Guards see him back to his chambers." Tywin said and Harry and Jaime both frowned. From the sounds of it they had saved Tyrion from official execution but now they honestly worried Tywin and Cersei intended to have him assassinated and would just hold him in his chambers instead of the cells. Harry turned to see Tyrion led away and then exchanged a look with Jaime who gave him a grateful nod which Harry returned, hoping that his brother could help Tyrion now.

With that done Harry turned back to his family, Margaery and Loras alongside Dickon all looked at him with awe having never seen anything like it. Oberyn and Ellaria offered a toast of their wine before they started devouring each other's mouths in front of them all which made Harry smile and shake his head. Randyll gave him a nod of respect which Harry returned glad that at least he had gained the respect of the martial lord, he would be a very useful ally in the war to come. Olenna was now smiling too, glad to have her grandson back and very relieved that he was not declaring war on them.

Mace however was glaring at him, blaming him for ruining the chance to wed Margaery to a king and thus make her a queen and his future grandson a king. It was a glare Harry gladly returned, feeling his good mood was now very much spoiled.

* * *

Later that night Mace was preparing for bed, honestly still not sure how much his plans could go wrong even if his mother had said that they would. He had been about to make his daughter a queen, the first Tyrell Queen in the history of Westeros and secure their house's power for decades or even centuries to come. The Hightowers and the Costaynes had given queens to kings and that was just amongst his own banner-men, time and again the Tyrells had been passed over for the honour of having a daughter of their family to be made a queen.

And now they had again, it infuriated him and made him wish Harry had never been born, life he thought would be so much simpler without him there. His interference had cost him a royal grandchild and Mace had been so angry that he had refused to see Margaery being quickly wed to Dickon Tarly, a blatant slap in the face to Randyll but he was Liege lord Mace thought if he wanted to do that he could.

Hoping tomorrow would bring better tidings he climbed into bed and settled only to feel a sudden and harsh pain in his leg, casting back the covers he saw to his horror that a snake had latched onto his leg and sank its fangs in. He tried to get up and pull the snake off but soon his limbs became numb and he fell back on the bed, his body refusing to move. Mace felt terror rising as he lay helpless on his bed with the snake still biting his leg but none more so than when Oberyn Martell emerged from a nearby hidden passage, he would have shouted and threatened him if he had been able to move or speak.

"My sister told me of these passages when she came here to be wed to Rhaegar. A very useful little addition to the Red Keep that serves those that know of them well." Oberyn said with that damned annoying smirk coming over to the bed and with a pair of gloves and experienced hands easily pulled the snake off of him and put it in a basket before closing the lid. He turned his attention back to Mace who was glaring at him with all the hatred he could muster, had he been able to speak he would no doubt have been threatening Oberyn with the wrath of the Reach but since he could not all he had was his glare but against someone like Oberyn that was useless.

"The Lord Oaf of Highgarden...that is what they call you. The most foolish lord to ever rule the Reach. I honestly doubt that your family would have survived your idiotic rule if not for your mother, I only wish she was fifty years younger, I would love to see what she did to entrance your father so, maybe even experience it myself." Oberyn said pouring salt into the wound for his own amusement, taking great pleasure that Mace could not move thanks to the snake's venom. "Insulting your most powerful banner-men, taking credit for victories that had nothing to do with you even those of your own son; houses have been ended over less." Oberyn said to him now sitting next to Mace on the bed to make him more impotent.

"We all thought you an idiot but then you made the biggest mistake you could possibly have done." Oberyn told him like they were friends. "You tried to give my great nephew to the Lannisters, my great nephew."

Oberyn saw the confusion in Mace's eyes and drank it in like fine wine, savouring it before he decided given the man was on his death bed to give him the truth.

"My niece is Rhaenys Targaryen and she is married to Harry, I was not happy to hear it at first but over time I have become good friends with him. He is a decent young man and he has given her six children, including the one you wanted to give over as a hostage to those monsters but I suppose I can thank you for something." Oberyn said with his smirk becoming more menacing. "You forced their hand, now my niece and her husband are going to reclaim her rightful throne and Jasen, son of Rhaenys, grandson of Rhaegar, great-grandson of Aerys and the boy you thought was a worthless bastard will be king one day. You had a royal grandson all along and never bothered to see him and now you never will." Oberyn said with a last devastating smirk and a confused and horrified Mace was left staring after the Prince of Dorne disappeared with the snake in its basket, trying desperately to make a sound and attract help but nothing more was heard from that room except for the scream from the servant that entered the following morning to see the dead Lord Tyrell lying in his bed.

 **\- x -**

While Oberyn was drawing deep satisfaction in killing Mace Tyrell, Tyrion was making his way to his father's chambers to confront him over everything the Old Lion had put him through. He did not even register what his intent was, his mind was still trying to cope with the devastating reveal Jaime had made after freeing him...that his wife Tysha had been no whore and was actually in love with him. That he had lied on their father's orders since he believed that she had been a whore after their wealth.

Tyrion upon hearing that was filled with not only anger at the betrayal that he was not sure he could forgive Jaime for but also abject horror given how Tysha, his wife and only woman that had ever really loved him had been treated. Gang raped by most if not all of the Casterly Rock garrison and worst he had been the last man to do, spitting on her as a whore and sending her away in disgrace and shame with a silver coin for each guard that had raped her and a gold one because as his father Tywin had put it Lannisters were worth more. Depression sank in as he realised even if he found Tysha again after all this time she would surely hate him, despise him as the lowest of the low and right now Tyrion honestly could not disagree with that.

A future of love and potential happiness...stolen from him and her by his father and it was far past time that he was confronted Tyrion thought.

The dead of night made it easy for him to arrive in the chambers his father had taken for himself and was disappointed to see he was not there, he decided to wait and see where his father was until he saw something moving on the bed in the centre of the room. It was from the slim figure a woman that he could tell and Tyrion actually felt even more disgust with his father, after all the times he had threatened to kill any woman Tyrion chose to bed he was actually bedding whores himself...what a hypocrite Tyrion thought with venom to himself only to be stopped cold as he saw a familiar mass of black curls.

As Shae saw him too a red mist descended on Tyrion's mind as he realised just how much salt his father was prepared to rub into his wounds, bedding his own son's paramour while he was waiting to be assassinated. He did not remember getting on the bed and only had the vaguest of recollections of struggling with her as she tried to stab him with a dagger, the only thing he could clearly recall was taking his father's chain which the whore had placed around her neck and pulling it so tight that she could not find breath, he might have shed a tear for her after all they had shared but he could not be sure of that. He only saw the crossbow on the wall which he walked over and took from its place, not even sparing the whore's body a second glance before walking to the privy where his father must surely be if his chain was here.

He walked down the short corridor before pushing the door open and saw his father sitting there, many times Tyrion had imagined his father brought down low but right now he looked so unlike the Great Lord, sitting there on the privy in a dark and rough shirt but Tyrion did not care a bit about that as their glazes met.

"Tyrion." Tywin said his eyes going to the crossbow and for the first time since he was a boy feeling fear. "Put down the crossbow. Who released you? Your brother I suspect?" Tywin asked when Tyrion held the crossbow firmly at him. "He always did have a soft spot for you, we can talk in my chambers." Tywin said hoping to get out of a position in which he was so vulnerable but Tyrion tightened his grip on the weapon.

"This how you want to speak to me?" Tywin said with his disapproving voice, hoping that he could gain enough influence to get out of here and back into his chambers. "Shaming your father has always given you pleasure hasn't it?"

"All my life." Tyrion said, not listening...now he thought it was his time to speak his mind. "You wanted me dead."

"Yes." Tywin admitted seeing no reason to deny it. "But you refused to die, I respect that even admire it. You fight for what's yours." However anything else he might have said was cut off by Tyrion asking a question.

"What happened to Tysha?"

"Ah, your first whore." Tywin said not really sure why Tyrion was bringing her up now. Tyrion's face turned into a mask of fury at the last word. "She learnt her place."

"Call her a whore again and it will be the last thing you do." Tyrion said with anger. "Where did she go?"

"I can't remember." Tywin said, confident enough that Tyrion would not shoot him. "Wherever whores go."

Tyrion felt the red mist that had engulfed him moments earlier when he had seen Shae, a woman he loved and had thought loved him in turn in bed with the man that had been trying to kill him all his life and without even a second thought he pulled the trigger and the arrow flew out and struck Tywin in the chest. He was silent for a moment as the body of his father although he had never been that to him fell back on the privy and dropped the crossbow, his mind in a daze after all that happened tonight...he had no destination in mind and no goal, his mind was despite its great intelligence overwhelmed by so many facts he had learnt tonight and feelings swirling in a chaotic mess.

It was in this state that Varys found him and ushered him to the docks where they boarded a ship for Meereen.

 **\- x -**

Unaware of his brother's flight to Essos Jaime was staring at the sleeping Tommen who looked so pure and innocent, especially with the kittens on his bed that its brought tears to Jaime's eyes. He was too good for this word, especially for the corruption and violence that followed the throne. It had destroyed Joffrey and Jaime took his sword out and said quietly to the gods he did not really believe in any more but needed someone to make his oath too.

"I swear I will not fail my children again, I will protect Tommen and Myrcella till my dying breath. Please help me to make sure my children are safe." Jaime pleaded, his desperation to make sure that the two people who meant the most in the world to him would be safe meaning he would ask anyone for help.

Even the Gods.

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter**_ _– We catch up with Daenerys and Jon while in the Vale there is an outcome no one could have predicted._


	27. Chapter 27 Decisions

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _Glad to be back with another chapter, I have been working on my next story and I have a few ideas in the pipeline some of which were suggested by yourselves. At the moment nothing has been written but a few I am excited about._

 _To avoid confusion I have renamed Jasen Waters, the bastard son of Ser Arthur Dayne. His new name is Joss Waters._

 _In this chapter we catch up with Daenerys and Jon._

 **Chapter 27 – Decisions**

 _ **Kings Landing, the Crownlands…**_

Olenna was a strange sight in black, Harry thought as he sat around the table with her and his two siblings. It was silent as they all absorbed the fact that Mace had been assassinated and while Harry had a fairly good idea just who had done it he honestly was not surprised and decided to avoid a conflict by keeping it secret. The general feeling was that Tyrion Lannister was responsible given that Tywin Lannister had also been assassinated that night apparently by him and while Harry was sure Tyrion had killed Tywin he had no reason to go after Mace.

What he could do without was the suspicious looks being sent his way by his family.

"Just please tell me you didn't Harry?" Olenna asked finally breaking the nervous tension and all three pairs of eyes focused on him. Harry was equally unnerved and offended by the attention and accusation and matched his grandmother's stare before answering.

"You actually think I killed Mace?" Harry said not bothering to hide his outrage at the accusation. He might have hated his father for all the things he had done and trying to give Jasen to the Lannisters to advance his own position but he would not become a kinslayer. "Regardless of how much I hated him there are some lines that I will not cross, I would never kill a member of our family." Harry said giving them all a hard glare. "Besides why would I do it? The alliance with the Lannisters is already in pieces and he had no more power over me."

The rest of the Tyrells all looked at each other before slowly nodding, they were not fully convinced but sure that he probably was not planning to kill them off too.

Harry meanwhile was inside smiling, a dangerous threat had been removed and without Mace who was desperate to cling on the scraps of power that the Lannisters threw him like a dog the alliance was finally gone. The rest of his family would return to Highgarden later today with the Tarlys and all their men and he was looking forward to attend the 'official' wedding between Margaery and Dickon. The gifts he had promised were already being prepared and soon their plans for the North and Riverlands would be set into motion.

 **-x-**

Cersei watched later that day as the Tyrell convoy left Kings Landing with a smile on her face, glad to see the back of them as now she was sure that with them gone she would have free reign over her son and the throne. Sure Myrcella was still in Dorne and was being held there but there was no real threat and even though her uncle Kevan was now Lord of Casterly Rock he would do as she said, she was her father's daughter and he had obeyed him without question why not her? They would find the money to pay the Iron Bank and even if they didn't what threat were a bunch of men lower than servants half the world away? She was smug as finally things seemed to be going her way.

* * *

 _ **The Eyrie, the Vale…**_

"MY PETYR!" Lysa Arryn wailed as news of Petyr Baelish's death reached them, someone in the capital had finally found a moment to send a raven about it and upon receiving it Lysa had completely fallen apart. "THE LANNISTERS KILLED HIM!"

Lord Royce and the Vale lords behind him watched uncertain, not sure what to say or do around the unhinged woman who suddenly turned to them with eyes wide and yet unfocused and her nostrils flaring like an enraged animal.

"TRAITORS! YOU WANT TO GET MY SON! YOU CONSPIRED WITH THE LANNISTERS TO KILL MY PETYR AND TAKE MY SON FROM ME!" She screamed at them and they were taken aback at how quickly she had turned on them and realised just how vital the worm Baelish had been to keeping their liege lady's state of mind intact.

"Lady Arryn..." Lord Royce started to say hoping to calm her but he learnt too late that he had made a rather critical mistake.

"ITS LADY BAELISH!" Lysa screeched and took a very tight grip of Robert Arryn who was sitting on her lap. They could see the young boy was struggling to get free of his mother's grip, looking incredibly scared and Lysa saw their gaze go to her son and her eyes suddenly took on a panicked desperation.

"YOU WILL NOT GET MY SON!" Lysa screeched and with a speed few of them could follow she pulled herself and Robert Arryn forward and out of the Moon Door which had been left open on her instructions to remind them all just what would happen to traitors. None of them had a chance of stopping her and could only listen to her screams as she and Robert Arryn plunged to their deaths on the rocks below.

There was complete silence for a moment except for the wind coming through the open moor door until one of the others lords asked Lord Royce.

"So who is the Lord of the Vale now?"

Lord Royce did not answer him as he considered what they were faced with now, a civil war in the Vale to determine just who would rule here now. He would have to get the men he had brought with him to secure the castle and hope holding it would solidify House Royce's claim since by blood they had the strongest connection to House Arryn in the last century, however their rival House Redfort would certainly press their own strong claim on the Eyrie. He gritted his teeth and knew in his heart it was going to be messy and that he had best find allies fast.

* * *

 _ **Meereen, Essos…**_

Daenerys was sitting on the simple seat she had made her throne in the largest pyramid of the city, it was not comfortable but she could live with that after their incredible run off success so far. She had all but conquered Slaver's Bay, taken its wealth and freed its people. Her dragons were growing larger by the day and now she had nearly all she needed to return home and retake her family's throne. She had assembled her inner council in the throne room except for Daario as she was not sure about him yet especially with his attempts to woo her.

"So how are we for men Ser Jorah?" She asked the knight that had stood with her through thick and thin. He smiled before answering her.

"We will fifteen thousand Unsullied and Twenty thousand native volunteers who had asked to join you army but it will be a few months before they are ready to be called soldiers."

Daenerys nodded before turning to her unofficial Master of Ships Yara Greyjoy who looked far more relaxed than she had known her in their short time together.

"And how many ships do we have Lady Greyjoy?"

"Four hundred total." Yara said with a grin before giving her the bad news. "But most as either cargo ships or too small to carry many men, we will need more if you intend to take your army by sea."

Daenerys nodded, accepting the other woman's greater experience of such things and deciding to look into getting more ships in the future before turning to Ser Barristan and asked.

"How much coin have we acquired Ser Barristan?" If they were going to have to purchase new ships or weapons then it was best she find out how things were from the most honourable man in her council.

"Nearly twenty million gold dragons worth your grace." Ser Barristan said wishing he had not been given the responsibility of counting all the treasure they had taken, he was a knight not a steward. He received a sympathetic nod from his apprentice Joss Waters who was of a similar mind.

"So much." Missandei said from the side in amazement, never had she even heard of such wealth.

Daenerys nodded, feeling that she could spare some of that towards acquiring more ships when Grey Worm, the leader of her Unsullied entered the room.

"My queen, there are men demanding a meeting with you." He was typically calm as was usual for him and his men but she did not even get a chance to respond before two men and two women entered. All of them looked rough in jumbled armour that had clearly been taken from here and there, to her untrained eye they did have a strange resemblance to Ser Jorah who instantly tensed at the sight of them.

"Are you the woman that they call a Dragon and the Mother of Dragons?" The tallest and wildest looking of them all demanded, he was a very strong looking beast of a man with shaggy dark hair and looked dangerous.

"I am." She said once she had gotten over her surprise. "It is common for people to wait before forcing their way in, so who are you?" She asked putting on her best intimidating stare but sadly it had little effect on the man or his entourage although the other man who had brownish blond hair and one of the women looked amused at her attempt.

"Crixus, leader of the Freed Slave Movement." He said and if possible Jorah became more tense.

"Well Crixus of the Freed Slave Movement, why are you here?" Daenerys asked actually wondering if the man was completely sane given he was surrounded by her people and how large his confidence was or perhaps she thought with amusement his ego.

Crixus gave the room a good look before answering.

"While you have been taking your time and taking the rest of the cities here in the bay me and my people have been liberating the rest of the settlements around the towns, villages, large estates and the other cities of Slaver's Bay like Tolos. There is only one left that is still controlled by Slavers, the island city of Elyria. I have the ships to carry my warriors there but we lack any ships with catapults which could attack the walls." Crixus said in his abrupt manner and Daenerys suddenly understood why he had come to her.

"Which I have." She added referring to Yara's warships. "And in return what would you give me?"

"A part from a share of the riches there." Crixus said looking at her with suspicion probably given her people's reputation in Essos for slavery. Then the other man with lighter hair came up to him and whispered something in Crixus' ear which seemed to enrage him but a stern look from the woman who she assumed was his lover cooled his anger. "It would also mean that you would have all of Slaver's Bay under your rule if they decided to make you queen. Everything." He said albeit with annoyance.

That did sound tempting Daenerys thought, there were forests around the bay that she could use to build a large fleet and add a good number of men to her cause. Not to mention she had heard that Crixus and Gannicus if that was the man at his side were good generals and knew how to lead men into battle which was something that she was lacking at the moment. Ser Jorah for his loyalty was not experienced at actual leading men into battle and Yara was a sea captain better suited to fighting on the water, Daario was an option but she was still not sure if he could be trusted yet.

"I will do it and perhaps this might be the first step towards towards an alliance." Daenerys said and while Crixus looked ready to snap back with some sharp remark the woman at his side gave a firm kick to his shin which surprised him enough to stop him and then said.

"We shall see, now excuse us Queen Daenerys."

With that the group left as abruptly as they had entered which made Daenerys wonder what the hell had just happened. Yara looked a little affronted at having to use her ships to help those savages but the chances of plunder where enough to keep her from speaking against it. Ser Jorah however acting more out of character than she had ever seen him and said the moment they left the room.

"Khalessi you cannot trust them!"

"Ser Jorah!" Daenerys said surprised like the rest of them at the outburst.

"I apologize Khaleesi but I recognise those savages for what they are, wildlings! They have been attacking my family's home for millennia and have slaughtered or carried off people to be eaten alive! This must surely be a trap." Jorah said with an attempt to be calm but he did not seem able to despite his best efforts.

"Wildlings." Yara said not having much experience of such people given the Iron Born never had a reason to raid beyond the Wall, not enough to warrant it but she like the rest of Westeros had heard the horror stories that came from the North about them. Some made even her hardened stomach wince in apprehension.

"A trap? To what end?" Grey Worm asked, immediately wary of any potential danger to his queen.

"To cripple our fleet, to lower our guard so their army can enter the city and sack it? Maybe both." Jorah told them before looking her straight in the eye. "Men who wear human bones as armour after boiling them while the men are still alive, whole clans that eat nothing but human flesh, men who fuck their own daughters and then when those daughters have daughters of their own fuck them too while killing any son that is born. Those are just a few of examples I can give you Khaleesi." Jorah said and some of the words spoken made his audience ill.

Daenerys was unsettled, why had she agreed so quickly? She should have tried to find out more before saying a word. However she had given her word and now felt lost and uncertain her earlier good mood completely gone so she said.

"Everyone leave me, Ser Barristan stay. I would have your counsel." They all nodded and left even Ser Jorah who looked unsettled by her dismissal but did as she commanded. The old knight looked at her curiously but said nothing, waiting for her to speak.

"What should I do Ser Barristan? Should I support these men who I don't know if I can trust them? I gave my word but should I keep it?" Daenerys asked him looking and feeling very lost in that moment. Ser Barristan would have put an arm around her shoulder to comfort her if she were anyone else than his queen but instead told her.

"My queen, I cannot speak for who these men might be or whatever intentions that they might have or whatever experience Ser Jorah might have with them to colour his judgement but this is your decision. If you are to be a true queen that rules in her own right then you will need to make your own decisions and stick to them whatever that is. All I can say for sure though is there will be consequences for whatever course of action you take." Ser Barristan said solemnly, he could not rule for her and in the matter of Wildlings he had no experience to draw on, so in this they would have to see what she decided.

* * *

 _ **Bloodstone, the Stepstones…**_

The cool breeze was a relief as the heat of the Stepstones made Brienne sweat in her armour, Pod thankfully was only dressed in cotton and leather while she rather foolishly had stuck to wearing her armour. Walking through the town on her way to the castle Brienne marvelled at the happy people as they moved about town on their daily business. They looked well fed and clothed, the heat of the island meant they would never feel cold, much better than most people that she had seen in her journeys around Westeros which spoke well of the lords that ran these islands.

When she finally arrived at the large and impressive castle she was allowed entry and bid to a courtyard where her breath caught in her throat at what she saw.

The girl which a bow in her hands was the spitting image of Lady Catelyn Stark, the same brilliant red hair and aristocratic face while another younger girl was helping her and another Northern girl to use the bow. Nearby a young northern man was sparring with another young man of Valyrian ancestry however they all stopped when she appeared and she became short of words as Sansa Stark and a shorter Northern girl that walked beside her approached, Pod was openly staring at the beautiful three girls in the yard and she kicked him in the shin to make him behave before the two main girls came up to them.

"Lady Brienne, welcome to Bloodstone. Lord Tyrell informed myself and Arya that you would be coming." Sansa said and Brienne wanted to sing with joy, seeing now a similar feature or two in the other Northern girl she realised that both the daughters of Lady Catelyn were here, safe and sound. Remembering Lord Tyrell had been the one to send her here it was clear to her now that it had been him that was harbouring them. Brienne kneeled before Sansa and Arya Stark and gave them her words, Pod quickly knelt too..

"My ladies, I was sworn to your mother that I would serve her and House Stark to the best of my ability and I failed her, please accept me into your service and I will not fail your family again." Brienne said with passion, her guilt over what had happened to their lady mother stabbing viciously into her. Sansa and Arya both looked unsettled at the mention of their mother and her fate but Sansa put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a sad smile.

"You defended her to the best of your ability, her death was not your doing but those that were so greedy they broke every law that exists in this world. You can rise Lady Brienne and my sister and I gladly accept your aid as we prepare to return home and retake Winterfell and the North." Sansa said and Brienne with tears in her eyes got to her feet, towering over both her charges.

* * *

 _ **Highgarden, the Reach...Two weeks later…**_

The sept of Highgarden was full of light and celebration as Dickon and Margaery formally wed in front of the other Reach nobles and while many whispered about the sudden wedding assuming that a child might exist none spoke loud enough to be anything more than a standard irritation. The only topic that caused any real issue was the still unoccupied Brightwater Keep and just who it would be awarded too given the Florents betrayal by siding with Stannis Baratheon. Mace should have dealt with it but in his selfishness he had apparently intended to keep it for himself. Gunthor Hightower had been awarded the seat and while it was not as large or as powerful as others it was a good and wealthy enough seat. Harry intended to get a better castle for his friend in the war to come for his loyal and devoted service but for now it would do.

He breathed a sigh of relief when Dickon put the Tarly cloak on Margaery, now his sister was safe from the Lannisters and married to someone who would at least be able to be a husband to her rather than a child. Loras was crowned Lord of Highgarden and it had been a relatively quiet affair, no drama and no one expected Loras to be a dynamic lord that shook things up. Harry agreed with that quietly as his brother did not really plan things out and was more reactive that proactive but it was a big relief to him, especially as Loras was far more certain to support him when the time came than Mace would have.

He looked over to see his wife on her first visit to Highgarden, she had he noticed with an amused smile gotten the Reach lords eating out of her hand. She gave him a smile in return, not happy to have left their youngest four children in the islands but Jasen and Elinor were in awe of the large and grand castle and politically it was good to let the Reach nobles see the boy that would one day rule over them. Olenna had doted on her great-grandchildren who had been in awe of the strong old lady that seemed so clever, both of whom stayed close to her when their parents were talking to someone else. Margaery herself was quick to introduce herself to her nephew and niece and doted on them both, unlike Loras who had not seemed to know what to do when Jasen had asked if he was as good with a sword as Harry was and quickly asked Margaery to handle it much to Harry's, Rhaenys' and Margaery's laughter, even Olenna had cracked a smile.

The one high point of ceremony was when Harry had presented the Valyrian steel shield to Randyll, it had started a gasp that could be felt all around the room at how beautiful it was and emblazoned with the Tarly colours and Huntsman. Many questioned how he had so much steel to make it and Harry and Rhaenys just smiled knowing not answering would drive them mad.

So to get away from all the questions they took a stroll in the castle's godswood, although it had long been converted to the Seven and even built a very elaborate sept Highgarden still had a godwood with not one but three Weirwood trees that had grown so large and entangled they appeared to the casual eye to be one enormous tree rather than three together. Collectively they were known as the Three Singers and as Harry and Rhaenys sat at the pool beneath them Harry wondered if there was ambient magic feeding the trees that had helped them grow so tall and graceful, many of the older castles in Westeros like Highgarden and Harry suspected Winterfell were built on magical sites or on ley lines by the First Men so it was not beyond the realm of possibility.

But his thoughts of magic were replaced by his devotion to his wife as they sat in each other's arms while Kanoro and a few of their guards kept watch, even though both of them were armed it helped to be prepared. Jasen and Elinor played around the tree as their parents watched, the peace of the moment was so perfect that it was almost like a dream.

A familiar present however ruined the moment as Harry felt an aura he had not sensed since his trip to Bear Island years ago, not long after finding the truth of Rhaenys' half brother. He looked around and saw a Three Eyed Raven sitting in the branches of the tree nearby, Rhaenys was confused at the bird having never seen something like that before so were Kanoro and their men who all drew their weapons expecting so kind of attack. Harry however was feeling angry, what the hell did that old man want after so long a time? He had toed the line that he had demanded on and left Jon Snow alone so what the hell did he want now?

' _A favour.'_ The old man's voice echoed in his mind and Harry grimaced, glad on one level that he would not have to go to the freezing Beyond the Wall or True North as it was known to find out what he wanted. However he was not happy to have the old man's voice in his head.

' _What is it exactly?'_ Harry thought rather than said with irritation.

' _Go to the Wall and make sure Jon Snow survives the battle there, events are still uncertain and we need to ensure he survives. If he dies it would be disastrous.'_ The Three Eyed Raven said mentally which made Harry grit his teeth.

' _I am not your errant boy.'_ Harry thought scowling visibly which made Rhaenys look at the bird suspiciously at the bird before it vanished before their eyes.

"What is it?" She asked and Harry glared at the spot where the bird had been before turning to answer her.

"Apparently your half brother is in danger at the Wall, the Bloodraven wants me to go and protect him. So should I go?" He asked her, she was surprised he was asking her and she was struck with indecision.

"Why ask me?" She asked not really sure even now what to think of her father's second son. While she did not at all hold him responsible for anything that had happened she was happy enough not having evidence of her father's madness which had hurt nearly all of Westeros in one way or another right in her face. Harry gave her a look she could not quite place before answering.

"Right now you are my biggest concern, you and our children." He said taking her hand as their children came over and cuddled up to them. Taking one in each arm she let them cuddle close while Harry wrapped his arm around her. "I'll go but only if you want me too."

Rhaenys was torn, she wanted her husband here and safe not in the north risking his life for someone they had never met. However at the same time Jon was her only remaining sibling and a part of her wanted to make sure he was safe, for the sake of family if nothing else. She could almost imagine her mother glaring at her for even thinking about not helping Jon and in that moment she made her decision.

"Go...but I want you back safe and sound." She told him and Harry nodded, kissing her forehead and then Jasen and Elinor before turning to give a nod to Kanoro who returned it, understanding what he was trying to convey and he would ensure that Rhaenys and the children were safe while he was gone. Harry smiled to his children before disappearing with a pop, returning to the islands to get an unremarkable set of armour, furs and a sword from their stash that would not be so recognisable. He had sent many to the Wall in the last few years but not all of them had seen his face so he would wear a helm constantly to disguise himself and he would stick as close to Jon and his eyes open as much as possible.

* * *

 _ **The Wall, the North…**_

The night was cold and bitter, a strong wind was blowing which cut straight through men as they stood around getting ready for battle, there was a strong air of hopelessness hanging over them as five hundred men got ready to face an enemy around ten times their size and not many of them expected to be alive come morning. They could have rallied all the men of the Watch from the other castles but even that would only have given them two thousand men at best and that was still nowhere near enough and leave big portions of the Wall unguarded.

Harry appeared as close as he could to Castle Black which required several small apparation jumps to get there but even with warming charms what irritated him the most as he stood there in the open was cold biting wind. Warming charms had limited effect here perhaps because it was so close to the True North, he stared up at the impressive structure and was in awe of its size but more so of its importance in keeping the living safe from the dead.

So pulling himself away from the impressive view he marched up the rough road to Castle Black, he was noticed by the men on guard at the gate which was he noticed rather poorly defended and he hoped that the only attack came from the other side of the Wall or they could be real trouble. They called out and the gate soon opened revealing a rather sour looking man with a lined and bitter face, his eyes showed an endless anger and pride that was almost unbreakable.

"What the fuck do you want?" The sour old man said, Harry caught his eye and with a scan of his surface thoughts that confirmed that aside from this man was just insanely bitter about his life and his raging anger took it out on everyone that his name was Ser Alliser Thorne, the Master at Arms of Castle Black and acting Lord Commander of the Nights Watch. Harry had hoped that he would be dealing with Jeor Mormont or even Benjen Stark but it seems that they were either missing or dead so here he was dealing with this ass hole, Harry struggled not to grit his teeth and with great effort he put on a grim look of his own and said in a gruff voice.

"I heard there was a fight here, I just got back from the war in Essos and I want to get me self settled. Hoping to get a lord to offer me a spot so to prove I can fight I offer me sword." Harry said nearly cringing at his appalling accent but it was the best he could do.

Thorne looked even less convinced by his accent than Harry was himself but he swallowed nervously and said with his gruff voice.

"You do what we say, when we say it. The only reason I'm not throwing in the Ice Cells is because I need all the swords I can get, got it?" He said glaring at Harry who kept looking grim and not the least bit intimidated by Thorne, he had faced far more scary things in his life already.

"Sure, as long as I get to do some killing I don't care." Harry said in his bad accent, Thorne without a single word turned and went back inside the castle with his men which Harry took as his cue to follow.

Inside Castle Black Harry was astonished at how bleak it all seemed, men looking so weary and cold that they were just waiting to die and the broken and run down castle looked ready to fall apart. He knew full well the Watch had been in decline for decades if not centuries and was now manned largely by criminals having sent a large number here himself but he had expected something...more.

He looked around the yard and saw no sign of Jon Snow and only gained a few glances as men assumed he was a new recruit, he was considering casting a locating spell once he could find a safe enough spot but was saved from having to do this when he saw someone he recognised and not in a bad way. Samwell Tarly was moving across the courtyard and while he doubted the man would remember him he would know where Jon was so he quietly followed Samwell.

He entered the old and bleak rooms of Castle Black after Samwell and soon reached a room where Samwell was sitting with a young woman of Northern appearance and furs that marked her as a Wildling who had a baby in her arms. Besides them there was an ancient looking man in maester's robes and a long chain around his neck, this must Harry realised be Maester Aemon Targaryen. They had known of his existence but given he had been bound to the Wall and Rhaenys had wanted little to do with her Targaryen relatives they had not approached him.

"Who are you?" The girl asked with fear, unknown men in her mind meant trouble.

"I'm sorry if I am intruding." Harry said in his bad accent, glad of the helm that he was wearing which hopefully should stop Samwell from recognising him on the off chance he remembered. "I was looking for Jon Snow, I have a message for him from two young she-wolves." He said letting the words hang in the air, waiting for someone to catch on to what he was saying. Aemon smiled immediately and chuckled while Samwell and Gilly looked at him confused.

"I am sure he will be glad to hear it, he is on top of the Wall on look out for the Wildlings. May I ask who you are though? Your accent is in need of work but I do detect a Reach tone underneath it." Aemon said with an amused smile. "Not to mention your speech is like a noble not a sellsword so who are you?"

Harry was taken-aback by how sharp the old man was despite being blind, Aemon was certainly a very observant and had a vast wealth of experience and knowledge. He might have made a good king Harry thought with sadness, one of the best had he taken the throne rather than Aegon the 5th but he could not dwell on the what ifs of this world and seeing that Samwell was about to call for other members of the Watch he with a sigh of annoyance he took off his helm and said. "Thank you for ruining that particular guise Maester Aemon."

Samwell much to his own worry did recognise him as he removed the helm. "Lord Tyrell!" He said in shock, which only made Harry wince and Gilly who had no idea what that meant asked.

"Who?" Her puzzlement only clouded the really important issue.

"That doesn't matter now. I am sure Samwell will fill you in later, besides Samwell if you have not heard already you and I are now kin." Harry told the shocked looking Samwell. "Your brother just married my sister so we are now goodbrothers so I ask that you keep my presence here a secret. Now excuse me." Harry said with hope that they would, putting his helm back on as he left the room. He was annoyed at his disguise being seen through but there was little to do about it now. So he left the interior rooms and rode the lift to the top of the Wall in search of Jon getting more irritated that the Raven had sent him here by the second.

Once he got to the top though he was blown away at the incredible view offered from its great height, the vast expanse of Beyond the Wall illuminated by the setting sun. It was worth the long trip on the lift if only to see that.

He tore himself away from the view however as he started to look for Jon Snow, there were surprisingly not many men up here yet despite battle being nearly upon them perhaps due to the fact that it was even colder up here than it had been on the ground probably due to the lack of protection from the wind. He did see the scorpions and other siege weapons being made ready and soon men with Myrish glasses scanning the area beyond for sign of the wildlings, he eventually found Jon after the sky had darkened into night and the snow began to fall but the boy was surprisingly looking not north but south with a mournful look.

Before making his presence known Harry took a moment to study his wife's half brother, he had little resemblance to the Targaryens like his wife as both of them took more from their individual mothers' than their father. However there was a similar look in the face and his eyes were a darker grey than normal Northern eyes like his cousin Arya's perhaps de to the mix of grey and purple, he like his father seemed to carry a great burden on his shoulders.

"Jon Snow." Harry said looking around quickly to make sure they were alone before he spoke, the young man looked around only for them to be interrupted by Thorne who came up behind them.

"Get a fuckin." Whatever Thorne was about to say was cut off as the forest in the distance was set ablaze, they all turned to look at the spectacle and then came the worst part. Tens of thousands of wildlings came slowly out of the forest brandishing torches and their weapons with complete confidence in their victory, there were even giants riding mammoths amongst their scattered and disorganised army and Harry while knowing he could escape at any time gulped at the enormous odds against the Night's Watch this time.

"Archers! Notch!" Thorne shouted out and Harry took a bow from the rack nearby and notched an arrow. "Everyone else hold."

Harry tuned out Thorne's rant after someone dropped a barrel over the side of the Wall and had to concentrate to not shake his head in dismay, Thorne must really be pissed off at his life to start ranting at them when the enemy was literally in sight and did not answer when he demanded that they all say 'no sir', but like the others Harry turned around to hear a cry that the wildlings were attacking the entrance to Castle Black on the southern side. Harry worried as now they were trapped on both sides and while he could evacuate him and Jon at any time he chose what the hell kind of situation would Sansa and Arya be faced with when they came north. A civil war in the North at the same time as a massive wildling invasion was a headache that he wanted to avoid but short of giving them troops which would weaken their standing or using Fiendfyre which would damage and possible break the Wall there was only so much he could do, so he thought gritting his teeth they would have to fight it out. Thorne decided right there and then to go and fight in the yard which was not stupid in itself but who he left in charge was stupid in the extreme. A knight from the Crownlands who had been caught trying to rape a lord's daughter and taken the Wall to avoid punishment.

Harry took one look at the fat and stupid looking man that actually had to be reminded by Thorne before he left to loose the arrows and knew he was paralysed by not knowing what to do and the last thing that they needed was to have this idiot in charge. So while Harry did loose his arrow and although in the gloom and snow he could not see if he hit anyone when the idiot ex-knight went to close to the edge of the Wall, with a quick wave of his hand and a banishment charm the man lost his footing and went head-first over it. His scream as he went over was lost with battle cries of the wildlings and everyone just looked at the spot where he had fallen with surprise.

"Well." Harry said without humour to Jon, breaking the silence. "I guess you're in charge now."

Jon looked shocked at the news as did everyone else there but they all looked at him for orders and Jon did not hesitate to his credit telling them to notch arrows again, still scared Harry saw it in his eyes but Jon was focused and determined. He would be a capable soldier and a leader Harry thought, maybe even a man who people would be drawn too but not necessarily a good king or lord but Harry thought as he notched another arrow we will see.

Below them they saw wildlings trying to dig climbing axes into the Wall and Jon told them all to ease their concerns as the wind began to pick up.

"They won't summit before dawn."

Another man asked. "How do you know that?"

Jon surprised everyone especially Harry by saying "Because I've made that climb."

Another man apparently one who was friendly with Jon spoke up. "I think they're in a bigger hurry than you were." Harry peering over the great drop then added his own opinion in slight amusement.

"Then they fall when they mess up, you can't make a climb this high in a hurry."

Nevertheless two very nervous archers tied themselves to a mechanism and allowed themselves to be lowered over the edge so they could fight their arrows strike down at the climbing wildlings, all of them even Harry waited for Jon's order.

"DRAW!" Jon said waiting for them all to load their bows. "LOOSE!"

A storm of arrows both flaming and normal spewed from the top of the Wall catching wildlings beneath them, the men despite being scared still seemed to calm given the strong presence Jon was giving off without even realising it easing their nerves. The wildlings' archers tried to return fire but the distance was too great to reach even half way up the Wall, that was until a Giant with a much tougher bow started firing.

Harry and Jon barely avoided being hit by an arrow the size of a long sword as it blasted part of the platform they were standing on, seeing the giant load again Jon yelled out to all the men.

"DUCK!"

Most did as they were told except one man who was fumbling with his bow and impaled right through the chest but the sheer force of the arrow actually blew him clear off his feet and over the other side of the Wall. Harry had only seen a ballista hit that hard and he was a bit worried that these giants who while nowhere near as big as the ones from his opposite's world might swing the battle.

Then something strange happened, Harry felt a surge of magic wash over the area and he realised it had the same strong but ancient feel of the Bloodraven. The giants he noticed felt it too and straightened their backs before turning around and heading back to the forest, both Night's Watch and Wildlings watched in shock at the strange turn of events and Harry who just looked north wondered what the hell the Raven was planning, he had brought him here to guard the boy and was now using whatever power he had to take the giants out of the fight. Clearly the ancient wizard had some kind of plan but what exactly eluded him and Harry hated mysteries.

He and the rest of the men on the Wall were brought out of their state of surprise by the sight of a group of climbers running straight at the Wall Jon turned to his friend and shouted out.

"NOW!"

His friend repeated the word and men started pushing barrels down ramps at the crowds of Wildlings below, the splintering wood or flames catching many and causing horrible screams that would haunt a man for the rest of his life. Harry stood with his bow and let arrows loose at the wildlings as they came in wave after wave, his fingers were starting to go numb from all the bow use when an explosion rocked them. One of the barrels had gotten stuck on the ramp and exploded, debris flew everywhere one piece knocking the watchman holding the ropes that held one the suspended archers who fell to his death. Harry himself felt a piece hit the helm he was wearing and was glad he had used it for his disguise as the debris would surely have at least knocked him out otherwise or split his head open.

Then Samwell Tarly ran up to them looking worried and there was some blood on his clothes and his hands, Jon looking at the wildlings who were still gathering below turned briefly before looking back to study the Wildlings asked him.

"What are you doing up here?" Samwell however brought grave news that made their struggle to keep the wildlings from breaching on this side seem dangerously pointless.

"The wildlings are over the Wall, Ser Alliser fallen. The castle won't stand much longer." All of them who heard it felt a chill go down their spines that had nothing to do with the snow and the strong wind that was whipping it all around them even Harry. Everyone turned to Jon while Harry wondered if he should just grab Jon and go but he stayed his hand and waited to see what the young man would do. When he finally spoke after a moment's silent contemplation no one would ever call him a coward that was for sure.

"Edd you have the Wall." Jon said causing them all to look at Jon and the now named Edd in surprise, Jon walking towards the lift before stopping to tell Edd.

"If the climbers get to close drop the side on them." Jon then continued on to the lift taking some men with him while leaving Edd to defend the Wall, Harry feeling more in his element joined them, Jon asked as he fell into step beside him. "Where the fuck are you going?"

The wind nearly drowned their words but Harry shouted back well enough to be understood.

"I'm better with a sword than I am with a bow, I'm better use down there."

No further word was said as they got in the lift and started the way down to Castle Black below.

 **-x-**

As the lift came towards the ground they were greeted with a horrific sight that made what Samwell say seem like an understatement, the outnumbered Watchmen were being absolutely slaughtered by the wildlings and given the sheer number of Wildlings that had gotten into the courtyard. Harry nearly missed Jon's words to Samwell as they arrived but thought no more on it as Jon ran out into the chaos and Harry with a sigh at his recklessness followed him.

It struck Harry instantly at how good Jon was as a fighter, had he been a knight he would have been a prime candidate for the Kingsguard. He handled the first four wildlings that crossed his path as he made his way into the courtyard with the ease of a skilled warrior, not that Harry was hesitant to get involved he followed Jon right into the fray.

Harry saw an axe wielding wildling come screaming at him but he side stepped just before the axe came down and as the wildling stumbled straight into his sword and through his gut before pulling it out just in time to deal with another which came at him with a similar axe, however Harry easily blocked the strike and impaled him through the stomach.

Harry did not enjoy killing but the fight was certainly he thought with a grin under his helm a way of letting off the steam he had built up over the last month or so and all that had happened, the clear do or die of combat letting him release his frustrations. Swords made of iron, bronze and occasionally steel were swung at him as Harry moved swiftly from one to another cutting the more brutal wildlings down. A snarl sounded and out of the corner of his eye he saw a white direwolf biting the throat of wildling clean off, Harry was honestly shocked at how loyal these wolves were to their humans but thought nothing of it as he saw Jon had gotten himself in trouble.

A large wildling with a vicious looking axe and scars across his bald head was matching Jon's swordplay move for move and Harry with his greater experience could see Jon was about to lose his sword which happened only a moment later. Harry seeing Jon was now in trouble made his way over, kicking one wildling in the chest who tried to get between him and Jon's attacker. The axe went towards Jon's head and Harry as fast as he could blocked the strike, his arms aching as the impact was felt but it was enough for Jon to grab a hammer from the nearby forge and smash it straight into the large brute's head.

Jon's breathing was rapid but as he picked up _Dark Sister_ and dropped the borrowed hammer, he gave a nod of thanks to Harry who returned it before Jon's eyes became fixed on a girl archer who had him in her sights and stared back at him just as fiercely. Even Harry who had never met the two before tonight could feel the enormous energy that ran between them, feelings so deep and strong that it would make someone question their deepest values just to be with them. Hate too radiated off the red haired wildling girl but there was something else beneath it, when Jon smiled at her Harry noticed her face twitch like she was going to smile but struggling not too and he was instantly reminded of himself and Rhaenys if they had an argument.

However out of the corner of his eye, Harry could see a young lad with a bow and arrow aiming at the red haired girl's back however his hands were shaking so much probably with inexperience Harry thought he was worried as Jon was directly in the line of fire and if the boy messed up the shot Jon might be hit instead. He quickly but carefully moved his hand and hit the boy with a banishing charm which knocked him off his feet before getting as close to the redhead as he could and put his sword at her neck.

 **-x-**

Ygritte felt the steel at her neck and cursed at how focused she'd been on Snow that she had not realised the other crow was there, however much she had hated Jon when the time had come to end his life for betraying her...she found herself frozen unable to let her arrow fly, unable to take his life and that warm feeling came over her again just as it had from the moment they shared warmth in the night, and had grown into a fierce blaze in that cave, the mere memory of which brought a brief flush to her cheeks. The cold steel however broke her from those thoughts and memories of better times, she was not afraid to die and was thinking about just making a sudden move so he would kill her when Jon crossed the yard and pulled her bow out of her hands and tied them up with rope.

"You won't be harmed Ygritte." Jon said and she was still furious at him and wanted to kill him for his betrayal of the Free Folk cause and of her, she glared at him hoping to unsettle him at least and she was glad to see him not able to meet her gaze but having him this close was wrapping his presence around her like a cloak again the feeling of safety he seemed to have about him and that accursed warmth feeling her again.

 **-x-**

After the wildling woman Ygritte as Harry had learned she was called and another wildling known to Jon as Tormund had been secured in the cells Harry and the rest of the men looked around the yard and saw the bodies piled everywhere. Many of them Night's Watch but twice as many wildlings littered the ground, however much of Mance Rayder's army had remained on the northern side of the Wall and according to scouts split into two groups, one led by Mance himself and the other was hiding not far from the Wall where the Giants had set up camp. The split had not gone unnoticed but Mance was still a threat. With several castles still abandoned which he would know being a former man of the Night's Watch Harry thought the man's plan to attack the Watch here made little sense and made him question what the hell he was planning? Perhaps to destroy the Watch?

Putting aside that question Harry walked with Jon to the rooms of Maester Aemon where they could talk in privacy, Jon seemed to have accepted him by now and asked.

"We could always use good men at the Wall, will you be staying?" Jon seemed hopeful which Harry thought was amusing but good and replied.

"I am afraid not, I must return to my family in the south." Harry told him as they arrived at the rooms of Maester Aemon and knocked on the door. Jon nodded in understanding, a bit disappointed but he understood.

Entering the dark rooms they saw Maester Aemon waiting for them and he smiled when they approached.

"Welcome young Snow and Lord Tyrell, since we are still alive I am guessing we have proven victorious. Now I believe you had a message for young Snow." Aemon said with amusement, knowing full well the Stark bastard as he thought of him would be shocked. Jon's face was a picture Harry had to admit reluctantly at how shocked he was especially when Harry removed his helm and said annoyed to Aemon.

"Yes thank you Maester but please keep that piece of information to yourself from now on, it is bad enough that Samwell Tarly recognised me." Putting his helm under his arm Harry extended his hand to Jon who took it with hesitation. "Lord Harry Tyrell, it is good to finally meet you Jon. Sansa and Arya have been so worried about you, they asked I check on your welfare." Harry said deciding not to mention the Bloodraven, the situation was complicated enough as it was without telling them everything.

"Sansa! Arya! Are they alright?" Jon asked quickly as although surprised at the revelation he was more concerned with the safety and well-being of his sisters, the last family he had now he thought sadly. Father, Robb, Bran and even Rickon was gone now and more than one night he had been kept awake with his worry for his two half-sisters who it seemed had vanished without trace, until now. He was eager to learn anything he could about their welfare.

Harry put his hands up and reassured the younger man with a smile.

"They are fine, Sansa has even bonded with Greywind and both girls are planning to retake Winterfell soon. They have already gained a few allies in the North and hope for more in the days ahead. They send their love and ask you to take care of yourself. After all you are pack as they put it." Harry told Jon knowing it would brighten the young man's day. It was the first time that he had seen the young man smile except when he was confronting the red haired archer that Harry guessed he was in love with.

As Jon just stood there glad to finally know that his sisters were safe, Harry noticed a sad smile on the face of Maester Aemon no doubt thinking on the horrible fate that had befallen his own family. Harry felt a sharp stab of sympathy and desperately wanted to ease his pain that he had been experiencing for nearly twenty years, thinking about whether or not they could risk telling him the truth. Thanks to Loras being on the throne of Highgarden and the Tyrell/Lannister alliance now being over their position was far more secure but it was still a large risk as the Vale's neutrality, the North and the Riverlands restoration and the build-up of their forces was still underway. However this was a man without hope and filled with sorrow for all his house had lost...perhaps Harry thought he should know the truth and he realised so should Jon. Bound the Wall Jon could not inherit the throne nor did he want it and he had promised to Lord Stark that he would tell the boy the truth Harry thought with guilt irritating him till he accepted the potential consequences of what he was about to do and said after discreetly casting a charm to prevent them from being overheard.

"Maester Aemon, I have a message for you too." Harry said deciding it might be better to start with him, given how devastating the truth might be to Jon. The old man looked at him strangely not expecting this but nonetheless curious. "When Rhaegar's children were killed in the capital, there was a survivor."

The silence was immediate and intense, Jon looked on in shock and Aemon looked first stunned by his announcement and then anger gripped his ancient features and he snapped at Harry.

"Are you trying to torture an old man? To tempt him with a family and then gain pleasure by snatching it away? ARE YOU?" Aemon said his temper growing by the minute and Jon looked ready to kill Harry right there and then for doing such a thing. Harry cursed inwardly, that had been a stupid way to try and tell them the truth. He sighed before grabbing a hand of each man and before they could react apparated them to Highgarden.

The suddenness of what had just happened shocked both Aemon and Jon out of their anger, Jon more than Aemon who could at least see the change in environment although both suddenly found themselves sweating in the warmer temperatures of the south and shrugged off their heavier clothes and furs quickly.

"Where in the blazes are we?" Jon asked his hand now at his sword, expecting some kind of attack. The voice nearby however distracted his attention.

"In Highgarden, thousands of miles from the Wall." Rhaenys said as she came out of the bedroom followed by Jasen and Elinor who being bold children did not hide behind her skirts but instead stood at her side. The two children studied the newcomers with interest especially Aemon having never seen someone so old. Aemon however was unlike Jon actually delighted.

"Magic!" He said in excitement, surprising them all in how open he was too it and completely unafraid. "I had dreamt all my life of feeling it again and although my sight is gone, that energy is unmistakable." He said remembering the feeling he had gotten off the fire crystal Brynden Rivers had given him all those years ago.

"Harry who is this?" Rhaenys asked confused as to why he had brought this old man here, the sight of the half brother she had only ever seen through glass candles was unsettling and she was not sure what to say. He like her had suffered because of their father's madness albeit in different ways and that fact should bind them together but instead it seemed to be a wedge that she could not overcome, after all he had no idea who she was and what they were to each other...however seeing a familiar look in her husband's eye she knew however much it scared her that it was about to change.

"Not all of Rhaegar's children were slaughtered Maester Aemon, one was spared by use of a decoy. Allow me to introduce you to your several times niece Rhaenys Targaryen." Harry said addressing both of them which made both of them and Jon gasp, Rhaenys was very pale as she was introduced to the oldest member of her family and one of the few who had rejected the throne much like she once had. Aemon seemed as unsure as she was as he came over to her slowly and gently moved his hands across her face, creating an image in his mind of what she looked like, Rhaenys allowed this and the small smile that appeared on his face made one appear on hers too it was so infectious.

"There are pieces of my mother Dyanna Dayne and my sisters Rae and Daella in you, your chin and your nose definitely while your height is the same as my mother's. I am so glad to meet you." Aemon said tears forming in his eyes as for the first time in so many years preparing himself to perhaps be the last Targaryen here was the future of their family. His smile was widening as he placed his hands on her shoulders while Rhaenys with a small tear in her own eye stood there with her children who looked at the old man with awe, their many times great uncle.

Harry watched with a smile, seeing Jon was looking very uncomfortable at the closeness of the old maester and Rhaenys and while Harry did not want to break up a close reunion so he turned to Jon and pulled him aside as Aemon was introduced to Jasen and Elinor who took an immediate shine to the old man who smiled brightly at their joy.

"Jon, there is something I need to tell you, I was with Lord Stark when he passed and there was something he wanted me to tell you. About your mother." Harry said seriously and Jon instantly become completely focused on him.

"Go on." Jon asked, still reeling from the discovery that Rhaenys Targaryen was still alive and wed to Lord Tyrell, this however struck more deeply. That he had been there while his father drew his last breath and had carried the secret of just who his mother had been.

"Firstly, remember that Lord Stark loved you. He kept the truth from you to make sure you were safe, your parentage is dangerous as there are those that would kill you due to your bloodline. Lord Stark knew that when you were born so he named you his bastard as it was the only way to hide it but Jon...you are not nor have you ever been a bastard. You were born within wedlock." Harry said grimly, not liking having to do this as it was sure to be painful but Jon deserved the truth.

"What?" Jon said in shock, all his life he had been looked down for being a bastard even if he had been treated far better than some others, he had learnt that much at the Wall. Now he was being told that he had never been a bastard although the idea that his father had another wife was beyond possible.

"Lord Stark might have slept with another woman but he would never betray his oath by marrying another woman while married to Catelyn Tully." Jon said with anger at the implication that his father had bee the sort of man that would marry a woman while married to another and Harry realised being subtle was not getting him anywhere so he would have to get to the point.

"That is true, he never would betray his wedding vows but although you are of Stark blood, it did not come from him. It came from Lyanna Stark, his sister." Harry said and Jon was instantly shocked into silence as he struggled to process what was being told. "Rhaegar was your father and he forced her to marry him, after you were born his treatment of her had damaged her health to making her decline and she begged her brother when he came for her to make sure you were safe. She knew that if the Lannisters and the Baratheons learned of your existence they would kill you and your uncle knew that too, the only way was to call you his bastard. Too many men use whores while at war and given how long he was gone no one really cared or looked closely enough to discover the truth." Harry continued, hoping to make sure that Jon understand.

He was interrupted from saying anything more when the old hand of Aemon came from nowhere and placed itself on Jon's shoulder, the old man smiled as Jon turned to face Aemon who he now knew was his several times great uncle.

"I felt some connection with you the moment we met but I did not realise that we shared the blood of the dragon." Aemon said with pride. "It is no accident that _Dark Sister_ came to you, as a Targaryen prince it was always yours by right and as a man of character and integrity." Aemon said and Jon honestly looked so overwhelmed and humble that it made Harry thankful that he was bound to the Watch as being king would no doubt be worse than death to him.

Jon however was pulled from his shocked state by an insistent pulling on the sleeve of his shirt, he looked down and saw Lord Tyrell's son tugging on his sleeve with his sister. The twins' vivid green eyes with a ring of purple around the iris were a strange sight but his smile was one of innocent joy.

"You're our uncle." It was a statement not a question and those words brought home the fact that he was the half brother of Rhaenys Targaryen, the uncle to her children. The insistent stare of the boy and girl actually reminded Jon of Arya the last time he had seen her and his heart panged with the memory of his sister that was not his sister. It made him sick to his stomach the lies that had been fed to him his whole life even if they had been in the best of intentions, worst was the anxiety he felt when the children's mother appeared. She was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen Jon thought and her violet eyes radiated her strong will but right now it was full of uncertainty as she looked at him, putting a protective hand on each of her children's shoulders. Her eyes met his and neither seemed to know what to say, they were complete strangers and yet joined by blood.

"Yes I am." Jon said with a smile that he managed to fix on his face, giving a polite nod to his nephew and niece who smiled back. Aemon then put an arm around Jon and Rhaenys and said with tears gathering in his eyes.

"For the first time in so many years I have family around me and I intend to spend what time I have with you tonight, there are some stories you all should here and secrets that I doubt you have ever been told." Aemon said as he was guided to a seat and started talking to his captive audience.

* * *

 _ **Elysia, Slaver's Bay…**_

The day was clear and bright as the ships approached the island fortress of the last slavers in Slaver's Bay, most were cargo ships converted to carry their warriors and all of them braced themselves for the attack.

At the wheelhouse of the ship leading the enormous formation was Crixus, he stared at the fearsome walls of Elyria. It had been a Valyrian stronghold once and the number of guard towers proved that although he was thankful in the privacy of his own mind that the walls were not dragonstone otherwise their plans would never have worked. Naevia leaned against him and he put a possessive arm around her waist, Gannicus was looking through some Myrish glasses to scan the horizon looking rather worried while Saxa sharpened her short swords. Gannicus put the glasses down and with a look of grim anxiety told them.

"There is no sign of them, the ships aren't coming." Gannicus was now looking deeply worried and thinking that they would have to delay the attack until they came up with a new plan.

"DRAGON BITCH!" Crixus yelled, spitting at the woman and he made a quick decision without even thinking it through his hatred of slavers gripping him with a sort of madness. "WE CARRY ON!"

"Crixus!" Saxa said with anger in her voice now. "If we have to storm those walls then we will lose hundreds of men."

"Thousands." Naevia said, like her lover not willing to give up and agreed with him. "We attack."

Gannicus and Saxa shared a look, both knowing there was no convincing them otherwise and they were about to lose a lot of people.

 **-x-**

The catapults on the walls of the city started firing the moment the ships got close enough, the first few shots went wide of their targets but soon the men manning them had the range and the bearing and started hitting their targets.

Ships masts collapsed, holes opened in the hull and started to sink as as water rushed in as multiple ships were hit. Some caught fire as barrels of oil smashed into the deck and ignited. Men and women screamed as they died in the flames or drowned as their ships went down, others were crippled by injuries they sustained when their ships were struck or crushed outright. Gannicus and Saxa were horrified at the sights all around and the sounds would stay in their minds forever, Crixus and Naevia however barely seemed to notice as they finally reached land.

Once they got close enough to beach the men and women that had managed to get close to land, carrying ladders to storm the walls with jumped onto the sand or slid down ropes, but the men on the walls started shooting arrows, bronze projectiles from slingers or bolts from ballista. As they charged towards the walls many would fall from the hell raining down on them, the ground was slick with blood and guts, warriors tripped and fell on the bodies of their comrades all over the place making them even more vulnerable to enemy fire. Crixus and Naevia were at the head of the charge, reaching the walls with a ladder, sweating profusely as they put it up and Crixus started the climb up the walls, snarling as a bronze pellet grazed him but he kept on going...Naevia just behind him.

Crixus reached the top and with sword in hand saw the archers that had picked off several of his men and the red mist descended, the men had barely time to scream as a wild and snarling Crixus came at them with sword swinging, slashing at them like an animal. The unprotected archers were all dead within moments.

In his rage however Crixus had not noticed a squad of slingers coming from the other direction, not until he felt the small bronze pellets they fired from their slings at him. Pain radiated all across his largely unprotected body and he in a state of shock as one hit his heart fell to the ground, dying moments later.

A scream of anger erupted from behind though as Naevia having now reached the top saw the death of her lover and with a rage fuelled by grief she charged at them with her sword swinging even as two of them hit her with their bronze. They missed anything vital though as she got into arm's length and slashed wildly them, gutting them like pigs splitting necks and bellies open while her rage enabled her to take off some heads but a few armed with daggers managed to get a few hits in with the last of the slingers getting her right in the gut but with the last of her strength Naevia managed to spear her sword right through the man's cock and twist so hard that it was cut off before falling and her eyes turned glassy.

Gannicus and Saxa soon reached the top of the walls themselves and saw the dead bodies of their comrades in arms and more than that friends but they had no time to mourn...the attack must continue so they yelled with the energy of the fight flowing through them and led the charge into the city.

 **-x-**

Hours later with the city finally in their hands, with the slaves that still lived in the city now free and the slavers executed, only then did the true scope of the cost of the battle become apparent.

"How many did we lose?" Gannicus asked from the manse they taken as a headquarters, Saxa having talked to their remaining 'officers' looked grim as she answered.

"Half." Her words were slow and sad, Gannicus was silent for a moment as he absorbed the information.

"Half, gods damn it." He said, devastated in the privacy of him and his lover. He put his head in his hands and sat on one of the large and expensive chairs that would have been better as firewood in his unstable opinion. Over a hundred thousand warriors...gone not to mention Crixus and Naevia dead. He had seen the defeated and depressed looks of their people himself as he had walked around after the battle...moral was completely shot to hell and Gannicus himself who had always been a firm believer in hunting down the slavers and wiping them out was now unsure if they could even continue with their people in this state. And he thought with anger it was not just the warriors, what about those that they protected, the women and children or the old that could not fight? He wondered as they numbered twice the size of their reduced army, how would they fair when now they were so reduced in number? He honestly felt the weight of the world on his shoulders, he was now the leader of their people and their protector.

"We can't stay here, not with that Dragon Bitch so close. How long before she sends her beasts and the Unsullied against us to force us to serve her?" Gannicus said sharply, taking a moment to spit in anger at the words 'Dragon Bitch'. If she had sent those ships like she promised then this slaughter would have been far less bloody and his two best friends would still be alive. Saxa nodded in agreement her own face showing her hatred of Daenerys Targaryen and while they wanted vengeance for her betrayal she was now far too strong for them to attack, with the Unsullied and those fucking dragons! Then she had a flash of inspiration.

"We go to Harry, he helped us once maybe he can help us find a safe place for our people." Saxa said, hoping he could aid them now when things seemed so bad. His supplies and weapons had been essential and he was a lord with an army of his own now, he must know somewhere they could go.

Gannicus was surprised at the suggestion but agreed with it quickly, with so many of their friends dead and slavers still around not to mention the Dragon Bitch on their doorstep they had little choice. Myr and the Disputed Lands were next to Harry's Essosi territories and that could be a good place to settle if Harry would help conquer them. He nodded and said.

"Find us some shipwrights to fix the ships so we can sail our warriors back to land and strip the city of everything we can take, food, gold anything. If we have to march as we lost so many ships then we will need fresh supplies for such a journey." Gannicus ordered and Saxa nodded before rushing off to get things in motion for their journey west, Gannicus meanwhile stared at the map of Essos on the table in front of him and sighed, hoping they had made the right decision.

* * *

 _ **Meereen, Slaver's Bay…One Week Later**_

Daenerys heard the whispers that were spreading through the city and instantly was filled with regret.

Although successful, the Freed Slave Movement's attack on Elysia had been very costly and many had died storming the city because she had denied them the help they needed much to her regret, they had apparently left the city a ruin and marched west to find a place to call home. But what was bad for her was the whispers that had started directed squarely at her, calling her a coward and dishonest behind her back...saying that she had betrayed them to the slavers. Not everyone was saying that of course and Ser Jorah and even Daario had assured her they would die down but she was not so sure. So she turned to Ser Barristan for reassurance who only looked at her sadly.

"I did tell you there would be consequences to whatever decision you made my queen." He told her apologetically with a worried expression on his old face. "The people will not forget what you have done for them but it might be a while before they look at you with such trust and adoration again and you may have to earn their trust back. That is all I can say." Ser Barristan said, hoping the young woman did not suffer unduly because of her mistake.

 **-x-**

Elsewhere in the Pyramid, Yara Greyjoy was staring at the wall in a daze as she learnt what had happened to her homeland. Euron had picked a fight with the better armed south and the Reach under the command of one of the Tyrells had driven him back to the islands before invading and slaughtering the Iron Born. Across the world it was becoming known as the Iron Slaughter...the name actually sent a shiver she would never admit too through her, the Iron Born had been massacred and their fleet either destroyed or taken. The Drowned Priests like her uncle Aeron had been hunted down like dogs and executed along with all who sheltered them. Most noble houses wiped out apart from two who now ruled over the sad little islands that struggled to survive without the knowledge of how to grow food or make things to trade.

The islands had been reduced to a shadow of their former self.

The only good news was that the Tyrell had apparently fought and killed Euron on one of the bridges of Pyke, not that it brought her much comfort. Her homeland and their way of life had been devastated and on the verge of winter the last embers were sure to go out…her people would survive Yara was sure of that but what would they become? The Old Ways she had been raised her whole life to worship would disappear forever and the mere idea filled her with horror and despite herself tears formed in her eyes with grief at what had befallen her homeland.

"Are you okay? I heard the news about the Iron Islands." The familiar voice of Joss Waters, the bastard son of Arthur Dayne was an unwelcome intrusion and she snapped at him with anger.

"FUCK OFF! IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"

Joss however did not leave and instead stood there and asked, looking completely unfazed by her anger.

"I was just trying to make sure that you are not going to do something stupid like sail to the Reach and search for revenge. You made an oath to our queen." Joss reminded her and she glared at him with resentment.

"And I'll keep it, but when we finally do sail for Westeros I will return to the Iron Islands and restore the Old Ways." Yara snapped at him, getting a vision in her head of going home and restoring them to their old strength. Joss however frowned.

"The Old Ways are what caused that massacre in the first place, if your people had never attacked the Reach in the first place there would have been no reason for Harry Tyrell and his people to go to war with them. There was applause across Westeros from what I have heard about what he did to them, that is how much your people were hated for all their raiding...far too lazy and greedy to do anything themselves they just stole and took without earning it." Joss said and Yara felt rage bubbling up inside her.

"Shut up!" She snapped, his words stabbing like hot knives into her and revolting to all she believed in but Joss was on a roll now and would not stop, his own hatred of thugs and rapists like the Iron Born now clear to see.

"After what happened do you honestly think your people would welcome you? Not when the Tyrells can come back and finish what they started, your own people would kick you out rather than risk the Bloody Rose's return." Joss said referring to the name Harry Tyrell had been given after the slaughter he had unleashed, that honestly worried Joss as he remembered the lord that had gotten him the notice of Ser Barristan and saved his life. He had not seemed back then the sort of man that could commit such a massacre but Joss thought how much had he changed?

Yara did not take his words well and in a flash of rage she balled up her fist and tried to punch him straight in his horrible mouth to stop more hurtful words coming out, however his training easily allowed Joss to catch the punch and force Yara back against the wall, restraining both her arms to stop her attacking him again while pining her legs with his. Yara struggled but his grip was too strong and later on she would have no idea why she did it, instead she pressed her lips against his.

This stunned both of them as neither of them had even thought about this before but it did not stop there as heat flared between them, he released her arms and forced down her breeches before taking a firm hold of her hips and lifted up so she could wrap her legs around his waist. Yara meanwhile pushed down his breeches and did wrap her legs around his waist as he screwed her hard against the wall.

* * *

 _ **Eastwatch By the Sea, The Wall…**_

Later when Harry had returned Jon and a much happier Aemon to Castle Black complete with a bow and quiver of dragonglass arrows just in case, at its neighbouring castle a few hundred ships arrived carrying around five hundred men, the most honourable Knight/Smuggler you would find anywhere, a scarred princess and a fanatical Red Priestess.

* * *

 _ **Beyond the Wall…**_

Accompanied by his direwolf Summer, his friend Meera Reed and the ever faithful Hodor Bran Stark finally gazed at the largest Weirwood tree he had ever seen.

The Three Eyed Raven meanwhile smiled, at last he had arrived.

* * *

 _ **Kings Landing, the Crownlands…**_

Bronn was quite content as he enjoyed the whores he had found, he had never felt better. He had his sellsword company, he had his castle or would soon if the bloody queen kept her word and now stood as commander of the City Watch again. He did feel bad for abandoned the Imp but gold was gold, that was what he had always said, taking a big drink of ale to celebrate.

The fact that the gold he was using to pay these whores and keep his company solvent was supposed to go to pay off the debt he owed to Harry Tyrell, he had not paid for two months and had no intention of paying. The Tyrells had no power in the capital any more.

What could they do to him now? Bronn thought with mirth.

* * *

 _Hope you all enjoyed the new chapter, please let me know what you thought._

 _ **Next Chapter –**_ _Tyrion meets Daenerys, The Riverlands struggles ignite and a new threat appears in Kings Landing._


	28. Chapter 28 Asserting Power and Conquest

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _Hello again, I'm back with the new chapter of Swords and Roses. Again thank you to everyone who read the last chapter and reviewed._

 _This chapter is longer than normal because I set a lot of things into motion so I hope you all like it._

 _On with the show..._

 **Chapter 28 – Asserting Power and Conquest**

 _ **Kings Landing, the Crownlands…**_

Cersei had been in a very dark mood recently.

Her hopes of great power finally becoming hers had been dashed from the very start, Kevan had very clearly stated to her face that she was the Queen Mother nothing more and treated her with no respect. Her relationship with Tommen had not improved either as he rejected her counsel and instead seemed to prefer Jaime's company to hers. Jaime at least was being more respectful but only due to her position as Tommen's mother and he did seem to give her son some helpful advice. The useful Qyburn had also been a boon to her as his knowledge was greater than that of Pycelle and he was now her secret right hand.

But her word in the city was effectively worthless, her servants she knew were either spies for someone else or useless hussies out for whatever they might get from her, it made her snarl as she walked to the Great Sept, putting on a smile as she saw the instrument of her return to power scrubbing the floors like the dirty peasant he was.

"High Sparrow." Cersei said feeling far more like her old self as she towered over the kneeling High Sparrow. "You are now the High Septon, I am sure you can be trusted to purge sin from the city with your followers."

"Of course your grace." The High Sparrow said with a relaxed smile. "The Seven that Are One will wash this city and then this country clean of sin."

* * *

 _ **Oldtown, the Reach...**_

Harry sat grimly across from Jaqen and asked.

"How long will it take?"

Jaqen said in his ridiculously calm voice.

"As long as it has too, eventually we will bring our gift to the sellsword."

Harry nodded with acceptance, not wanting to pay for someone to die but in this case it was necessary and he did not want any connection to him. Bronn the sellsword had not been paying back his loan and it was fast rising with interest but he had not bothered to answer the ravens sent to remind him. Harry had hoped that the sellsword would not be this stupid but it seems Bronn felt he had risen so high that he could not be touched by Harry or his associates and that was something he could not tolerate. It undermined his own authority and would make others who owed him money less likely to pay so he had reached out to Jaqen and the Faceless Men to deal with this threat for him.

He passed the gold over, glad to have this business dealt with before he took his leave and went to the event that had brought him back to Oldtown.

The day was bright and the crowd excited as today one of their city's greatest monuments was being reopened, they gathered at the foot of the stairs to the finally rebuilt Starry Sept eager to see inside. Harry made his way through the crowd with a smile on his face, he did not care in the least for the Seven but hopefully today would finally seal his acceptance with the rest of the Reach Lords. Many by now accepted him as one of them and the finest of his family but there were still a few that refused to see him as anything than a renegade second son that should have been sent to the Wall long ago. He nearly gritted his teeth with irritation at having to deal with them but they were his future subjects so getting them on board especially with the war he was planning was a big step forward in their plans.

He was applauded by the crowd and the faith as he passed which he smiled at as he climbed the steps to the Sept where the Head Septon and Lord Hightower greeted him with a nod which he politely returned before the High Septon opened the doors to the Starry Sept. Harry followed them as they entered and looked inside, Harry was impressed at the good work the builders had done, you could hardly tell there had been a fire and the murals that decorated the walls of the interior in-between the stained glass windows had been expertly repainted by the city's artisans, even improved with better use of colour and more detail added.

One mural however was new.

It depicted the battle against the Iron Born and the old Starry Sept being set ablaze before a heroic figure came and defended the city before he commanded the rebuilding of the building as it was and then it being repaired. The heroic figure was exaggerated with an incredible height and standing well above his fellow men but the golden rose held by a red hawk flag he held revealed his identity.

Harry was understandably shocked to see himself painted onto the walls of the sept and was in some ways touched the septons had decided to do this so in return he like many others went to the icons of the Seven and prayed or made a show of praying, feeling much more like this trip was worth the effort.

* * *

 _ **The Wall, the North…**_

Jon kept a firm watch on things around the castle as they settled down after the battle, his own performance seemed to have stopped most of the whispers about him being a traitor and so on but he was distracted, not least because the woman he loved was locked up in the Ice Cells with another pretty girl now working in the kitchens of a castle manned largely by criminals some of whom were rapists. Edd and Grenn had agreed to help him keep them safe but that was not the only thing on his mind.

His true parentage had disturbed him more than he had let on, that all his life he had been told lies and that his father Rhaegar had raped his mother only made it worse, not to mention because of his actions his grandfather and uncle had perished at the hands of the Mad King and started a war that had killed thousands. He was not the son of an honourable man and a woman who loved him but the result of a crime inflicted on an innocent woman by a mad prince.

It was a truly bitter potion to swallow and he really wished it was not true but his...uncle although he had a hard time thinking of Eddard Stark like that had told them the truth is harsh and sometimes disturbing but it is the truth all the same and there is no avoiding it.

"Rhaegar let us all down." Maester Aemon said appearing suddenly behind him, Jon had given up trying to figure out how the old maester could find his way around Castle Black and do it so quietly, Aemon seemed to have a new lease of life ever since the revelations in Highgarden. "He reminds me of Aerion, madness consumed them both but in this case it seems it was with a prophesy rather than violence to sate his needs. However regardless of how you came into this world, you are a caring, honourable, devoted and loyal man. It is a testament to both your own strength of character and the man who raised you, to risk his kingdom the way he did he must of loved you very much." Aemon said with a warm smile and slight tears in his eyes.

Jon himself felt the pricking of tears in the corner of his eyes, Lord Stark had always treated him like a son. If Lady Stark had ever treated him badly then he would intervene, he let him learn from the Master at Arms and the maester, have his own room and eat well compared to the smallfolk. How was that not being a father Jon thought with sadness, he really wished he could speak to him now given all that had happened.

Aemon put a hand on Jon's shoulder and told him.

"I am sure your ancestors are, and that Eddard Stark is proud of you as am I."

Jon smiled slightly before replying.

"And you are the wisest man I have ever met, Aemon Targaryen." Aemon smiled at that but both of them were disturbed by a noise at the gate. Jon walked down the steps to the gates and stood alongside the rest of the Nights Watch as a group of knights wearing the symbol of a flaming heart with a stag inside rode in surrounding a woman in a silk red dress that seemed unbothered by the cold. All the men's eyes were on her strange and exotic beauty but Jon felt uncomfortable, there was something...unnatural about her. His eyes moved instead onto the older man who rode with a young girl. He looked uncomfortable and she looked scared but Jon noticed greyscale on her face or at least the scars it left.

"Jon Snow." The woman in red said, drawing his attention back to her. "I am Melisandre and I am here to pledge my men to you to protect the realm of the living from the dead. May the Lord of Light shine on us all and bring the dawn."

"May the Lord of Light shine upon us all." The men echoed although the girl and the man with her did not Jon noticed. Thorne of course was fuming.

"Snow is just a bastard, he does not command here and if these men are to join then they fight for me." He said glaring at the woman who just ignored him, dismissing him immediately to speak to the men in the yard.

"Then name him Lord Commander, he risked his life to discover the Wildlings plans and to bring them back. He had been beyond the Wall and seen the danger for himself, he treats all men with dignity and fairness. He fought in the battle here and unlike the yelling wretch who likes to beat others to relief his own frustration he actually avoided getting knocked out." Melisandre said pointing to Thorne who glared at her with anger while the rest of the Watchmen all talked amongst themselves. "Not to mention I will take my men elsewhere if you do not, so compare the miserable and ridiculously judgemental and irrational Ser Alliser Thorne and the brave and noble Jon Snow tell me, just who is your lord commander?" She asked, letting her words hang for a moment.

Jon was surprised and unsettled by how much this strange woman knew but given what they were up against, five hundred men could be a real boon to their cause but why she was demanding he be named Lord Commander he did not understand. The election of a new Lord Commander was coming but the situation had delayed it for now, only this woman had set it in motion right this second.

"Jon Snow for Lord Commander." One man cried out.

"JON SNOW!" Another man shouted. Followed by another and then another.

"JON SNOW!"

"Jon Snow!"

"JON SNOW!"

Soon the whole courtyard was calling out his name while he felt suddenly faint, as unusual as it was to be chosen this way most of the Watch had named him to be the new lord commander. Aemon and Samwell stood with him with pride but Thorne and his men scowled at being dismissed and outmanoeuvred like this.

"Good, then that is settled." Melisandre said with a smile that should have been enchanting but Jon and Sam found it disturbing. That did not get any better as the man with the girl came over to him.

"Lord Commander, I am Davos Seaworth and this is the Princess Shireen Baratheon. I beg you to ensure the safety of my charge. I do not trust that witch who has usurped control of Princess Shireen's men not to burn her to death." The man's face bearded and lined slightly with age but his voice was steady if concerned and given what he had said Jon could well understand why.

"Ser Seaworth, you and the princess are both welcome and I will do my best to protect her grace while she is here." Jon promised, it might be foolish to believe Davos so readily but something in his gut told him that the man's fears were valid. The poor girl looked so frightened that Jon wanted to comfort her so he knelt down to her level and said.

"Your grace, while you are under my roof I will let no harm come to you. I give you my word." He said and she nodded.

"I only hope you are as steadfast as your father, my father admired that about him." She said sounding wise beyond her years, Jon nodded and gave the girl a slight smile before getting to his feet only to find Melisandre there with that strange look on her face that he could not describe.

"Lord Commander, if we might have a word in private." Melisandre said and Jon feeling very uneasy followed her although he did not look at her swaying ass as most men did until they reached the castle's hall. Melisandre's gaze was uncomfortably tense as she stared at him with a strange and unnerving smile.

"Your blood is powerful with an echo of magic on it, the Lord of Light has smiled on you." She said with a knowing look in her eyes which made Jon worry for a second that she knew of his heritage or his recent trip south somehow but she did not speak of it any further and instead came up close to him with her red silk dress open, showing her cleavage in a clear attempt to entice him and while Jon had more than one image run through his mind he took a step back and looked her straight in the eye.

"By blood is mine own and my heart belongs to another." He said sternly with narrowing eyes, eager to get away from this woman. Melisandre however did not seem in the least annoyed by his rejection, in fact she seemed amused by it and said with humour that sounded in some way threatening.

"Yes, your wildling woman. You are an admirer of strong women aren't you? Still the lord commander could end this fight with the wildlings if he captured the leader, without Mance Ryder they will fall apart. I have a few knights for the job and you could return the two prisoners you hold to their people at the same time. Save the woman you love and the Watch at the same time, perhaps more." She said a voice strangely compelling and a grin that annoyed and worried him, how the hell did she know these things he thought with worry?

 **-x-**

Jon had no idea why he had done as she suggested, hours later with the cold wind howling around him and the group he had brought with him.

The storm had blown up from nowhere and if possible it seemed to be getting colder as he, a squad of Melisandre's knights, three rangers and two bound wildlings made their way towards Mance's camp. His instincts screamed from them to stop and go back but Mance was such a threat that he kept going, hoping to save the Watch with this one act of dishonour.

Tormund and Ygritte had been gagged to prevent them shouting out any warnings of their approach, that was why he would not release them until they got closer to the camp but when they came in sight of it, through the snow all of them fell silent.

The camp which should have been a hive of activity was instead as quiet as a grave, no sign of any movement. Weapons and furs littered the snow covered ground, the sort of things that wildlings/Free Folk would never leave behind. Supplies too which given the harsh conditions would have been their highest priority to protect or take with them.

All the group felt incredibly nervous and drew their weapons, moving into a tight formation as they stayed on the edge of the camp. Jon looked to Ygritte and Tormund who both looked terrified as if they knew what was going on already so he pulled the gags from their mouths and Tormund said as he looked sharply around.

"Cut us free Snow...there's only the dead here now." Ygritte likewise looked at him imploringly and while he knew both of them still held a grudge he honestly was feeling the worst kind of dread so he released their bound hands.

Just as they did that a terrible screaming made all of them jump, turning they saw about twenty bodies rising from the snow. It was a horrible scene as the mangled and dead bodies of wildlings rose and started charging at them. Emerging from the centre was the most terrifying figure of all, it was far taller than a normal man with grey skin and shining blue eyes carrying an ice spear that was as tall as a man.

The southerners and those from the True North all stared not wanting to believe their eyes, they had all been raised on the dark fairy tales of the Others, the mythical White Walkers that tried to bring a night that never ends thousands of years ago and nearly wiped all life from the face of the world. And yet the apparent creature of myth was here before them...frighteningly real.

The party of ten found themselves wights that felt no pain, could not be stopped by any mortal blow, taking off the head, skewering them through the belly or splitting them open at the neck. One ranger and two knights found this to their cost and wights unaffected by their weapons leapt onto them and with their teeth like rabid animals tearing out their throats. One man tried to pull the wight off his friend only to have three of his fingers bitten off before Tormund grabbed the dragonglass daggers off the fallen knight who worn them at the insistence of his priestess and stabbed the wight straight through the head, stopping it in its tracks.

Ygritte likewise did not stay idle and grabbed the fallen ranger's bow and quiver of arrows that had been donated by Melisandre and tipped with dragonglass and without missing a beat dropped two more wights with an arrow to the head each.

Jon meanwhile with one of the other knights had found themselves confronted with the White Walker, who drove them back with brute strength, the knight swung his sword at the ice spear of the walker trying desperately to break it only for his steel longsword to shatter like glass on contact. However he did not have a moment to come to terms with this as the walker punched him so hard that his skull was caved in with the force of the impact.

Jon was more afraid than he had ever been in his entire life, never had death seemed so close. Not at any point in his life had he honestly thought he would die. That was until he saw the ice spear coming towards him and on instinct brought _Dark Sister_ up to block it, thinking that it would likely shatter just like the dead knight's sword had.

Only instead of shattering, the steel held firm and despite the pain in his arms from the force of the blow Jon was able to block the attack. The Walker looked as surprised at this, certainly as surprised as Jon himself was but both quickly recovered and the walker tried to swing again but Jon still had some leverage and managed with enough force to make an opening for him to get in a deadly slash at the walker's unprotected chest.

What happened next shocked them all more than the walker's appearance, upon contact with _Dark Sister_ the walker shattered into a million tiny shards of ice.

The wights suddenly like puppets with their strings cut fell down, again just normal corpses albeit it with damage caused by the fight. Jon looked around and saw of his party much to his grief only one ranger, two knights, Ygritte and Tormund had survived. They looked around at all the dead bodies with horror before turning back to Jon who stood there now faced with the grim reality that he had never imagined having to face.

The dead were rising and coming for the living, a threat humanity had not faced for thousands of years and apart from the Valyrian steel in his hand Jon had no idea how to fight them.

"You killed one." Tormund said in awe, he had believed them invincible. Nothing they had tried in the past had even hurt the creatures and yet Snow with his special sword had managed it seemingly by accident.

Jon himself was still confused but all of them heard a sound in the forest grove nearby and all of them with weapons in hand turned to face it, ready for an attack only to be surprised when a larger than normal boar emerged followed by a hulking man with a flat nose and heavy dark jowls.

"Borroq!" Tormund called out with relief at the sight of his skinchanger friend who called back.

"Giant fucker!" The men warmly embraced each other while the others looked on. Tormund broke apart from his friend and asked desperately given his family had been with Mance's army.

"Is this it, just the three of us left?" He needed to know his sons were safe, looking to Ygritte before turning back to his friend. Tormund and Ygritte looked at him imploring him to tell them it was not so and unusually in this world, the news was good.

"When Mance failed to breach the Wall, most of the army broke away under Karsi's command. Your family amongst them Tormund, they sent me to see if I could get more to join them only for me to find this." Borroq told them, giving Jon and the ranger the evil eye.

Jon meanwhile was struggling with a decision he had to make, he knew now the Walkers were real and that sooner or later they would invade the south. The Free Folk would be trapped on this side of the Wall and slaughtered if they stayed then their corpses turned into wights for the undead army, that left Jon with two choices; let them die or allow them south of the Wall.

Let the enemy have thousands of new soldiers or risk the safety of not only the Watch but the entire North as well.

He had never wanted this kind of responsibility, he had only wanted to serve but now he honestly felt the weight of the world pressing down on his shoulders. There was no time to think about it, no time to debate, no time to check with the Northern lords it had to be made now.

His compassion and honour however made the choice clear.

"There is a tunnel near the Nightfort." He said remembering Samwell had told him that he had used the same passage to get south of the Wall only a short time ago. They all turned to look at him with surprise, especially Tormund and Ygritte, the latter had been sure he was going to leave them all here to die. "Using it your people can move south of the Wall before the Walkers arrive, now come on time is short." He said urging them to move and all of them did, following his lead without a second through.

 **-x-**

The woman named Karsi had been uncertain of his claims, thinking it some kind of trap to bury them all alive in a tunnel but when runners confirmed he was telling the truth she for her daughters sake led their people through the tunnel and south the Wall, the tunnel was thankfully large enough for the giants and their mammoths as well if a bit of a squeeze. Jon watched knowing this decision was sure to enrage some members of the Nights Watch but it was deny the enemy soldiers to use against them and for all of the living regardless of which side of the Wall they lived on.

Tormund actually came up to him and gave him a hug, surprising him a lot but Jon had saved his sons and that had brought him forgiveness in the wild man's eyes. However one person was still giving him a look that could kill.

"You doom us then you save us." Ygritte said with bitterness, not able to look him in the eye. "I don't know whether to kill you or not."

Jon felt her words stab at him, he had never in a million years wanted to hurt her but his vows had taken priority not to mention all his friends there and the North itself if Mance got through. He had not known or understood the real threat back then, not understood how much she meant to him.

"I had a family and a realm to protect, now all of the living are my priority but Ygritte, I never meant to hurt you." Jon said earnestly desperate for her to believe that. He loved her, no two ways about it he did and he wanted her safe.

Ygritte was torn, she still hated Snow for what he had done but at the same time she knew why and that he did want to help. This would save her people at least for now but she was honestly not sure if she could forgive him yet.

-x -

Jon and his remaining men collapsed the tunnel after the last of the Free Folk went through, not aware that one very sour knight was already plotting his demise before his trip beyond the wall and would now find new allies because of his choice to let the Free Folk south.

* * *

 _ **A Ship, the Narrow Sea…**_

The ship carrying Sansa, Arya and their small group north rocked slightly in the seas but was otherwise steady as they made their way home.

In the cabin Arya polished her new specially made longsword, slightly shorter than normal it was like _Dark Sister_ made for a woman's hand with a dark grey finish and sapphires in the hilt. It filled her with pride but she put it aside while she and her sister looked at the allies they currently had, their wolves curled up next to them.

The Manderlys were still loyal as were the Mormonts and the Forresters, not to mention their hidden asset that would bring the Karstarks to their side once he had stopped vomiting over the side of the ship, apparently the sea did not agree with him both sisters thought with some mirth.

But aside from that they had no idea which houses might support them over the Boltons, the Mountain Clans were a possibility. They had a full army having not committed forces to Robb's campaign and had thought well of their father. The Umbers maybe, the GreatJon had been one of their father's closest friends and Robb's top advisers.

But many of the other houses they simply didn't know; the Ryswells and the Dustins had previous ties to the Boltons but had not been involved in the Red Wedding. The Glovers had lost their home to the Iron Born and had been powerless as most of their men had been south of the Neck at the time. There were similar questions hanging over most of the Northern houses. Sansa and Arya both snuggled for warmth and comfort closer to their direwolves, they both fully understood this was going to be the biggest test of their lives.

 **-x-**

At the newly rebuilt Winterfell Roose Bolton having hear whispers that the Stark girls may be returning to reclaim the North from him was taking no chances, Ramsay was enough of a gamble as an heir given his wild and sadistic nature. Roose himself was a man of few morals but the sheer thrill his illegitimate son seemed to get from torturing and mutilating people scared even him and he was desperate to see if his new wife Walda could produce a son that might be more 'stable'.

But turning his attention back to the current issue he stood with the rest of his family awaiting the arrival of his newest allies.

The men that entered first were as rough as you would expect Wildlings to be, the Skargosi were eager for a fight, especially as the Starks had limited their power and ability to raid for years. It mattered little to Roose as long as they kept houses that might rise up against him weak and afraid.

The second group with eyed the Skargosi with blatant dislike bordering on outright hatred, given their history with raiders. The Glovers however likewise were here due to their own greed, their income from lumber had dropped considerably since the Mormonts had discovered ways to make trees grow faster and their lumber was of a better quality. They wanted control of Bear Island and given the Mormonts were legendarily loyal to the Starks it should neutralise them as a threat, combined with the Karstarks that should be enough to keep their hold on the North secure.

However while he was concentrating on the enemy outside, he failed to notice the hateful looks Ramsay gave when his back was turned.

* * *

 _ **Bloodstone, the Stepstones…**_

Now their Stark guests had left it felt strangely empty and quiet around the castle, not that it really was as people still rushed around doing their jobs and the children played as the rulers of the islands met with their advisors on the current state of affairs.

"The stockpiles for winter are in place, our treasury is full of gold and our army & fleet has never been stronger." Jothos said with pride, his hard work had made sure of that and it was appreciated by the people around the table who swore to get his son some good lands to rule when the war began.

"Good, the dragons are now fully trained and larger than we imagined. All our allies are presently secure except for those in the North and Riverlands. But at the moment there is little we can do about that without tipping our hand to soon." Rhaenys said sparing their children who were playing nearby a smile.

Jasen and Elinor where playing dragon riders, imagining the day when they would have dragons of their own and soar through the skies with their parents. At nearly seven years old that was a few years off yet but why not let them dream, recently Kanoro had started to give them lessons in basic sword play and archery as not only was he a master with both but he was the only man Harry and Rhaenys would trust to teach their children.

On the floor playing on the rug with her dollies was Mira, their second daughter and more of a gentle soul than her siblings preferring the company of books and stories to more physical activities. Her twin brother Garlan was certainly the polar opposite, he swung his toy sword around with all the pent up energy of a five year old and none of the restraint. Harry kept an eye on him to make sure he did not accidentally hit his siblings or break something, having small smile at his most energetic son.

Their youngest only a year old each slept in their crib nearby, Alysanne and Daeron who were active most of the time but today had slept after a very energetic play with their parents earlier than morning. Caelys was usually the one to watch them but she was busy with her hospital and her own son Mors so for today the children sat in on the parent's meeting. Zara's own daughters were spending the day with Kanoro' wife and his sons.

"What of the Vale Civil War?" Kanoro asked from his chair directly to Harry's right in his calm and measured voice. Zara answered with her normal cheeky grin.

"Not as bad as we feared, none of us expected Lysa would go and kill not only herself and her son but the Royces' acted quicker than expected and secured the Eyrie. Three quarters of the Vale houses support them now while the Redfort's have only one of two with the rest staying neutral. That war will be over in a month." Zara said with certainty, her spies had told her that much as the only allies the Redfort's had left were on the point of defection. The Royces had their home under siege and their army outnumbered six to one.

Kanoro nodded accepting that when they were disturbed by a knocking at the door, Aeron entered with not one but two messages. He handed them to Harry who opened the first with a smile of expectation, this message he had been expecting however when he turned his attention to the second his face turned dramatically more shocked and angry.

"What is it?" Rhaenys asked looking concerned as were the others around the table, even the children noticed the change in atmosphere and looked to the table with worry. Harry noticed and instantly made sure to give them a reassuring smile before turning back to the people sitting at the table while Aeron distracted the children.

"The first message is from Brynden Tully, he has finally managed to get enough men together so he can retake Riverrun and wants to know if I intend to honour the promise I gave of eight thousand men which I will do. So those men are to be dispatched as soon as possible." Harry said turning to Kanoro who nodded, they had known this was coming sooner or later and had prepared for it. Those men would be on their way north by dusk tomorrow. Then however Harry held the second message in his hand and said as calmly as he could so as too not upset the children. "This one is from Essos, from Gannicus."

"What's happened?" Kanoro asked straight away, worried for his old comrades and friends although he had not seen them in years. Rhaenys and the others also listened intently as it was likely to involve the Freed Slave Movement which they backed.

"Crixus is dead, Naevia too." Harry told him and Kanoro who had known them longer than Harry was stunned, not wanting to believe it but he had to ask.

"How? When?"

"They attacked the last slaver city in Slaver's Bay, Elysia. Apparently they bargained with Daenerys Targaryen for the aid they needed to attack but right at the start she pulled out without warning, Crixus being the man he is...was." Harry amended not at all calm inside, he was furious and dearly wanting to make someone pay for this but he needed to keep a cool head so he continued the story. "Continued with the attack rather than step back and reassess, half their army paid for that with their lives. Now Gannicus is looking for somewhere to settle what people they have left. He wants my help to conquer Myr and the Disputed Lands."

The room was silent as they all absorbed what had happened and the situation they were presented with. Kanoro much like Harry was seething inside that someone would do that to a man that they had considered a friend and both vowed to themselves that if Daenerys crossed their path she would know just how they felt but both men were far too experienced and disciplined to act rashly, they would plan what they might do well in advance. Either way if she came west all she would find here would be enemies, they would see to that.

The rest of the people at the table who had not known Crixus well were more concerned with how this would affect the balance of power in Essos and if they could assist Gannicus and Brynden Tully at the same time.

"Trying to do both would stretch us very thin, we might have to leave the islands vulnerable." Zara said with worry, their manpower was not limitless and to help conquer Myr and the Disputed Lands would need at least ten thousand men or more.

"But it would remove our last rival for dominance in the region, not to mention cut off the potential threat as once they rebuild their forces all indications say they will attack us." Rhaenys said with a grim tone. She was not kidding about that either, despite being ridiculously outnumbered Myr's leaders seemed intent on conquering not only Lys and Tyrosh but the Stepstones as well and had been trying to build a new war fleet and army but so far were struggling to recover from the war.

"Not to mention bring control of their lands and resources under our control." Jothos said thinking of the profits to be made if they had control of Myr's industries, they still produced the best glass, lace, carpets, lenses, green wines, screens, mirrors, fire wine, tapestries, paintings and miniatures in the world and those trades when combined with their own would be a great source of revenue, not to mention in had the largest collection of Valyrian lore anywhere in the world other than their own.

"And it will give Gannicus and all his people, the former slaves a home where they can be free." Kanoro said with a look of annoyance at the others thinking of politics & economics rather than people. Being a former slave himself his sympathies were firmly with them.

"But can we do both? The Riverlands and Essos at the same time?" Zara said pressingly.

Harry at the head of the table rested his chin on his arched hands as he pondered on what to do, if they supported Brynden then they secured another ally for their rise to power and it made their claim to the throne far more stable. But that would mean abandoning the slaves and it would be very difficult and costly for them to conquer Myr on their own, if they could. Worst personally for him it would mean abandoning a friend after losing another and leaving tens of thousands to die and that was something he could not do. If he abandoned Brynden though then the Freys could stay in control of the Riverlands and he would never be trusted properly again.

A rock and a hard place indeed, Harry thought and wondered on something he had been considering since the end of the Lannister/Tyrell Alliance that it was time to stop hiding. It was a big risk he acknowledged, it might cause people to turn against them but if he and Rhaenys were to take the throne then perhaps they should finally show the world just who they were and what they could do.

"We will do both, since we have the gold we can hire the Golden Company to assist Gannicus while myself and Aeron go there with our dragons. Then I will apparate north and join up with our men in the Riverlands. That way we keep our defences strong and achieve both outcomes." Harry said taking charge and determining their cause of action.

The rest of the room all looked at him like he had lost his mind although Aeron did look at little excited that he and his dragon would finally get to do more than patrol the island, Rhaenys actually looked scared for a moment before asking him in a breathless whisper.

"You would expose us?" She was terrified at the idea of everyone knowing who she really was, who her children really were but Harry took her hand and said while gripping it gently.

"I will have to happen sooner or later, better now on our own terms then someone else later." Harry said and with trust built up on seven years of marriage and sharing each others burdens, put their heads together and prepared themselves to step into the light and show the world just who they were.

* * *

 _ **Meereen, Slaver's Bay…**_

The court of Daenerys Targaryen was a tense place at the moment.

The queen herself stared at the people that had just arrived in her city and was not sure what to make of them, at her side the wounded Ser Barristan Selmy stood having recently escaped death at the hands of the Harpies thanks to the timely intervention of Joss Waters who was now her grace's foremost bodyguard. The rest of her court Yara Greyjoy, Greyworm, Missandei and Daario all stood around the throne waiting to see what Daenerys would do.

The first of the three was known to them already, Ser Jorah Mormont who had recently been banished for being a spy and told never to return on threat of death. Whether or not the queen would carry on this threat remained to be seen.

The second was a very different man to the first, bald and effeminate in appearance smelled of perfumes and wore a very calculating gaze on his face as he observed everything around him. This man was Varys also known as a the Spider.

The third of their small party was again completely different to his fellows, far shorter with a vicious scar across his face and a beard. His eyes were far sharper though than either of his fellows and it was he that spoke for them.

"Into your service? Your grace, we've only just met...it's too soon to know whether or not you deserve my service." Tyrion said calmly, having already predicted how this conversation was going to go.

"If you'd rather return to the fighting pits, just say the word." She said it was intended as a threat and the arrogant smugness with the way she delivered it honestly made Varys wonder why he had thought this woman could ever have managed the Iron Throne. She had such an arrogance about her that she would simply expect everyone to go along with what she said because it was best in her mind. Perhaps it was a folly of youth and being flush with success but he worried it could be something far less benign if it continued. Regardless Varys knew Tyrion would eat her for lunch and he was proven correct as with carefully chosen words Tyrion started to turn the tables on her.

"When I was a young man I heard a story about a baby born during the worst storm in living memory, she had no wealth no lands no army only a name and a handful of supporters, most of whom thought they could use that name to benefit themselves. They kept her alive moving her from place to place, often only hours ahead of men sent to kill her. Eventually she was sold off to some warlord on the edge of the world and that appeared to be that only a few years later the most informed person that I know." He said looking quickly to Varys who nodded in appreciation of the compliment before Tyrion continued. "Told me that this girl without wealth, lands or armies had somehow in a very short space of time acquired all three along with three dragons. He thought she was our best, last chance to build a better world. I thought you were worth meeting at the very least."

Varys did his face neutral but he could see the effect the words were having on her and knew he was already worming his way into her confidence and she now asked a question to assess his worth to her but already the smugness of earlier was gone.

"And why are you worth meeting, why should I spend my time listening to you?" She asked and Tyrion pressed home his advantage.

"Because you cannot build a better world on your own, your understanding of the houses in Westeros is limited by the only people at your side that knows them is an Iron Born who is hated by the people there for raiding and raping, or one knight that for all his honour has no idea of politics or things beyond being a knight. I mean no respect of course to Lady Greyjoy or Ser Barristan Selmy but they do not understand the strengths and weaknesses of the houses that will either join or oppose you." Tyrion said and Yara looked annoyed despite his offhand apology and Ser Barristan bowed his head slightly knowing the assumptions of his abilities in that area were true. Daenerys however showed her naivety for ruling with her next comment, trying to reassure herself as much as those around her while nervously wringing her hands.

"I will have a very large army and very large dragons." Tyrion immediately pounced on the vulnerability she was showing.

"Killing and politics aren't always the same thing, when I served as hand of the king I did quite well with the latter considering the king in question preferred to spend his time torturing animals than leading his people. I could do a better job advising a ruler worth the name, if that is indeed what you are." He said now appealing to her ego after stripping her overconfidence away and she now had given him her complete attention and was truly considering it. Varys smiled inside knowing he had chosen the right man.

"So you want to advise me?" Daenerys asked although her voice was no longer as confident as it had been. "Very well, what would you have me do with them. Starting with him, I swore I would kill him if he ever returned." She said casting her eyes to the nervous Ser Jorah.

"I know." Tyrion said as he walked slowly forward towards her, stopping only briefly when the Unsullied threatened him with their spears till Daenerys motioned him to continue. "Whoever Ser Jorah was before he started informing on you, he is no longer that man. I cannot remember seeing a man as devoted to anything as he is to serving you, he claims he would kill for you and die for you and nothing I have witnessed has given me reason to doubt him." The air was thick between Daenerys and Ser Jorah as they stared at each other. "And yet he did betray you, did he ever have an opportunity to confess his betrayal?" Tyrion asked.

"Yes, many opportunities." Daenerys said with her voice shaking with barely controlled anger.

"And did he?" Tyrion asked her.

"No, until forced to do so." Daenerys said with her unable to control her own tone and her eyes were glaring at him with pain and anger. He winched at the strength of her rage.

"He worships you." Tyrion said, now hoping to at least get Ser Jorah out of this room alive. "He is in love with you I think but he did not trust you with the truth and an unpleasant truth to be sure. One of great significance to you, did not trust for you to be wise enough to forgive him."

"So I should kill him." She said with her eyes now starting to fill with tears that she desperately tried to suppress, falling back to such base actions in anger and naivety. Tyrion now had her near complete attention and made his comment to hopefully teach her something about handling betrayal which was something she was likely to face again in the future.

"A ruler who kills those that are devoted to them is not a ruler that inspires devotion and you are going to need to inspire devotion, a lot of it if you are going to rule across the Narrow Sea. But you cannot have him by your side when you do." Tyrion said hoping that his words had gained enough weight to effect her decision and was glad but sad at the same time when she gave her order.

"Remove Ser Jorah from the city." A pair of the Unsullied took a hold of each arm and led the disgraced knight out of the city while Daenerys turned her attention to Varys. "What of you Spider, you sent assassins to try and kill me for years and Ser Jorah to spy on me. Why such I spare you?"

Tyrion looked ready to intercede but stopped when Varys shook his head, telling him not too. On this occasion he thought to himself honesty was perhaps the best policy and it was time for secrets to be told, normally he might have tried to hold something back if it might be useful later but now if he was going to stop the civil war he feared they had to know all.

"Do you really think that your brother could have stayed one step ahead of me if I had really wanted you dead?" Varys asked her with stern look of disapproval which put her on the back-foot. "That he had the charm to find people to take you in and the coin to move you around so much? I did that, I sent the most foolish assassins I could find while ensuring you would be moved well before they even arrived. I found people to take you and your brother in and made sure you always found food and transport all the while convincing the Usurper I was loyal. I served your father faithfully in-spite of his madness and when I realised that his dynasty was about to fall I took all the steps I could to ensure House Targaryen survived the Rebellion he and your brother started. As for Ser Jorah he was here to protect you, to see if you were the queen that I hoped you might be."

Varys' words surprised everyone except Tyrion who he had said all this too before, no one more than Daenerys herself who was unnerved by the facts presented to her. All those people that had given them shelter, the donations that kept them fed and clothed had not been given because of them respecting her family name but instead due to this man and his machinations. If he was telling the truth then she would have been dead long ago as Viserys had the wit and intelligence of a donkey. He could never have outwitted the likes of Tywin Lannister or Robert Baratheon.

Varys then revealed yet more secrets, ones he had not warned Tyrion about.

"And it was not the only thing I have done to protect your family, you believe that you are the last Targaryen but that is not true...there is another with the blood of the dragon." Varys explained.

The shock in the room stopped anyone from talking over him or asking a question, everyone knew that Daenerys was supposed to be the last Targaryen and the idea that there was another survivor of her family was enough to shake them all, especially Daenerys who looked like she had been slapped.

"What?" Tyrion asked, shaking enough of the stupor off to ask the question that needed to be asked. He had never conceived of this and wondered what the hell Varys was thinking unleashing a surprise like this on them while he was still trying to build enough of a connection with her grace so she didn't kill them both, this was sure to put the cat amongst the pigeons he thought with worry.

"Using a decoy I smuggled her grace's niece Rhaenys Targaryen out of the Red Keep and too the safety of Volantis, I had intended to do the same for her brother Prince Aegon but Tywin Lannister moved quicker than I had anticipated. I hid her with allies of your family until she left my protection some years ago, I have kept an eye on her of course and can assure you that she is quite healthy." Varys explained without missing a beat.

"My niece is alive?!" Daenerys said struggling to process the fact that she was not the only Targaryen in the world, if the Spider was telling the truth and she still had some doubt of that then she had family out there somewhere. The blood of the dragon, someone who shared her legacy it was on one level strange and unsettling but at the same time exciting and joyous news. "Where is she? I must get her to Meereen immediately to ensure her protection." Daenerys said now starting to get eager to meet her niece and make sure she was safe. The rest of her court were as surprised as she was at this while Ser Barristan instantly glared at the Spider, wondering what he intended from this.

"She is far from here and her identity remains a secret held by only a few, she has lands of her own and is married to a very wealthy and powerful man who has a considerable army and navy at his disposal, not to mention a very powerful family on his side which makes them all the stronger. I also know she has connected with her Dornish relatives and they are firmly on her side. She is mother to six children to continue the family line and their influence in Westeros spreads daily." Varys told Daenerys, knowing she was not likely to enjoy what he would have to tell her next but if it stopped her trying to invade Westeros and fighting a civil war with her niece then it was worth the risk.

"Six children!" Daenerys said in astonishment, her family was certainly far from extinction if instead of one member there were in fact eight. Her brother had endlessly gone on about being the last dragon even if he had been nothing but a pretentious rat, then she had the loneliness of being the last and legacy pressing down on her, her destiny. Now she learned that in fact there were more of her family out there, more than she had ever dreamed.

"I will reach out to them when I claim the Iron Throne, their support should ensure my hold on the throne is secure." Daenerys said thinking her conquest was now going to be far easier but Varys gave a grim look before telling her something that made her heart sink.

"I am afraid you may not be welcome as Rhaenys is old enough to remember the abuse she and her mother suffered at your father's hands not to mention Rhaegar's betrayal, it has caused her to hate her Targaryen ancestry which you embody. Also circumstances have recently forced her hand into pressing her claim for the Iron Throne which they stand a good chance of taking before you even step a foot on Westeros shores, after all as the daughter of the last true Crown Prince and the daughter of two great houses, with six heirs and a number of powerful families supporting, her claim is stronger than yours."

Daenerys was struck silent at the idea that she had a rival for the throne whose claim was actually stronger than hers, soon she grew angry and stated clearly in a cold and angry voice.

"I carried the name Targaryen my entire life while she hid in shadow, I survived in exile and I rode the Red Wastes and ended the last Warlock of Qarth. I conquered Meereen and Slaver's Bay, I have dragons!" She said trying to point out all she had accomplished but then Varys dropped yet another surprise that was even more shattering.

"So does she."

The room once again became quiet, Tyrion and Yara in particular stared a Varys with horror as they realised this was not new news to them, but old news as they remembered the reports of dragons they had received.

"Five to be exact." Varys said with the same calmness as if discussing the weather. "All larger, faster, better trained and certainly more powerful than yours. She used them to conquer Tyrosh and then later to support her husband's campaign against the Iron Born by destroying a great deal of the Iron Fleet."

"The Tyrells of Bloodstone!" Tyrion said in horror as suddenly for him all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. "Harry Tyrell is her husband!"

Varys merely nodded to his friend and Tyrion honestly wanted to down three barrels worth of ale in a single go for the situation he was now greeted with, he wished Varys had made him aware of all this before as a war between Rhaenys and Daenerys was likely to even more destructive than the War of the Five Kings and he fully understood why Varys had wanted him to convince her against going after the Iron Throne.

"If you go after the Iron Throne." Varys warned Daenerys. "You will be facing an opponent unlike any you have faced before, a dragon like you. Just as strong, just as determined and with the same power as you. While I will serve you to the best of my ability, it is a fight you might not win."

 **-x-**

Yara Greyjoy was wandering to her room, her exit had gone completely unnoticed as she struggled with the fact that the man responsible for the destruction of the Old Ways and the decimation of her homeland was the same man that was married to the niece of the queen she had sworn to serve. While on one level she wanted to go there and hopefully kill the bastard and his spawn she knew it would be far from that simple. He had beaten Euron and his wife had dragons of her own...she would be slaughtered.

She knew it, everyone knew it.

Never going home was a bitter potion to swallow, she would live as an outcast for the rest of her life. Just as that particular thought occurred and she arrived in her room, she noticed she was being followed by Joss Waters. What had happened between them was a surprise to both of them and she swore to herself that it would never happen again but as she went to tell him to fuck off and leave her alone, other words came out of her mouth.

"Wanna fuck?" She asked him not sure where the hell they had come from but he did not hesitate crossing the room and pulling her into a passion kiss that she returned before tearing each other's clothes off and falling into bed.

* * *

 _ **The Disputed Lands, Essos…**_

The sights from the back of a dragon where amongst the best in the world Harry decided as he and Aeron flew on the backs of Talos and Meleys, his counterpart might have enjoyed it on brooms but from a dragon it seemed somehow more majestic. The vast distance you could see, all the plains and mountains so picturesque beneath while ahead was the endless sky, it was both humbling and beautiful at the same time.

Harry was enjoying the sensation of flight when he saw the enormous encampment in the distance and sighed as he urged Talos down, followed by Aeron on Meleys. The screams of terror from the camp made Harry sigh at his own idiocy for not thinking ahead but instead of cursing himself he carried on and landed at the edge of the camp along with Aeron, dismounting before walking over where a very alarmed Balaq and Gannicus met him.

"What the fuck!?" Balaq asked staring at the powerful beasts that could roast their entire army without breaking a sweat, Gannicus was likewise as staring at the dragons with horror wondering if the dragon queen had decided to pursue them. Harry was a welcome sight but the dragons had shocked them all.

"Regardless of what the dragon lords would have the world believe, dragons can be tamed by others if they are careful and clever which if you excuse my ego, applies to me." Harry said lightly, not amused of course by their fear and not mocking it. "Talos and Meleys are mine and Aeron's dragons and they will win us the Disputed Lands and Myr in half the time, they are perfectly tame as long as no one attacks them." Harry assured them both and they honestly looked like they doubted every word but Balaq swallowed his fear and said.

"Well we're here as long as you pay us so, I'll get my men to accept it somehow."

Gannicus was quiet and not sure what the hell was going on here but if these dragons were going to help and since he intended to bend the knee as they called it in Westeros to Harry to ensure he continued to protect them the dragons might come in handy. At least now he thought with a little awe he might get to see a dragon in action.

Harry came over a gave them a manly hug which Balaq readily returned and after a slightly hesitation Gannicus did too. Glad to have his friends around him again, Saxa came over too and gave him a hug before they retreated to the main tent while Aeron stayed with the dragons to avoid any 'incidents'.

On the table was a map of the Disputed Lands and of Myr itself, the land was fertile but had been devastated in places because of the constant wars and a number of fortified towns dotted around the area had fought for whatever faction held them which was by large Myr.

"We move systematically from one town to the next, seize it and install your own people there working our way slowly towards Myr." Harry said picking from one town to the next in a sequence before finally resting his finger on the big city that dominated the area.

"If all those towns and the city are fortified then how are we going to take them without siege weapons?" Saxa asked, remembering with painful clarity the cost that they had paid taking Elysia by storm. If they had to take all those towns and a large city the same way then their casualties were going to be colossal.

"What do you think we brought the dragons for?" Harry said with a grin. "They can clear the walls with ease and blast open gates too so we save time instead of using ladders, dragons won the Valyrians an empire they can win us this campaign." Harry's drawing from history might not be a great example and he saw them wondering if that was what he and Rhaenys intended to do but for now there was work to be done.

 **-x-**

The sun was high in the sky as their large army marched towards the first town, it was a considerable settlement that had started as as a military outpost as many such settlements do but now was faced with a large army of freed slaves baying at the gates.

They saw the large infantry of the Freed Slave Movement in the centre, flanked by the enormous cavalry and elephants of the Golden Company and were reasonably confident in their walls and powerful war machines to at least inflict enough damage to scare them off till help from Myr arrived.

They had no way of knowing that Myr had written them off as a lost cause and no help was coming but that was the least of their worries as they heard the roars in the distance. Quiet at first but getting steadily louder as it got closer, no one was sure just where it was coming from until one guard, nearly blinding himself in the process looked up and saw some dark spots above.

Harry was glad he was not afraid of heights as he lined up for his attack, it would be impossible for him to do this otherwise. He took aim at the walls facing their army and urged Talos to begin his dive, followed closely behind by Aeron on Meleys.

They screamed downwards at high speed out of the sun, taking dead aim on the walls of the town, the men below tried to move their heavy weapons but the angle was too steep and the dragons moving too fast for them to get a shot.

At the last moment the dragons pulled up but not before opening their large mouths and spewing flames so hot it could melt steel on the men and weapons at the top of the walls. Their screams were terrible but the wind rushing past their ears drowned that out, one long continuous blast of flame along one wall each before climbing away and then attack again on the rest.

Balaq, Gannicus and Saxa watched in the distance in awe and horror at the sheer power of the dragons and were glad to be on the same side of their riders and well back, feeling very unsettled at the ease with which the dragons dealt with all that opposed them, it was all over in minutes and then the largest dragon like it had just remembered used an enormous ball of fire to blast open the city's gates. Leaving them wide open so they could march right in.

They remembered the old saying, it was better to be at the Devil's right hand than in his path. While they all trusted Harry they worried this power would be too much for anyone to control.

 **-x-**

So it began, one after another the towns and outposts fell quickly and without much of a fight once the dragons had destroyed the outer defences, once inside though they found that conditions for slaves were to their disgust even worse than ever to try and put down dissent. Kept in small cages like hounds and fed scraps with hardly any water, they looked like skeletons when they finally liberated the pens.

Slavers and slaver owners were put to death immediately and the Freed Slaves and their families settled in their former holdings, now secure and with a place to call home for the first time in most of their lives.

When finally they arrived at Myr, the last stronghold they were greeted by the horrific sight of thousands of slaves crucified outside the city in a terrible attempt to scare them but all it did was make them angry and when the dragons broke their defences allowing Gannicus and Balaq to lead their men in few found any mercy.

In the end the flag of the Tyrells of Bloodstone flew over Myr, Harry had named Gannicus and Saxa to rule for him with the aid of a steward he had employed using a magical contract. Neither had wanted to rule but they were loved by the people and Harry needed someone he could trust in-charge so they became against their will the new rulers of Myr. Ships had been arranged to transport the Valyrian lore to Bloodstone for analysis in case anything useful turned up and leaving Aeron to assist Gannicus and Saxa Harry took Talos back to Bloodstone before apparating himself to the Riverlands.

* * *

 _ **Port Maril, the Riverlands…**_

Port Maril had once been a hide out for pirates and other villains that frequented such places, a den of lawlessness that showed no sign of ever becoming anything else. That had been until Lord Boros Wallian had allied himself with Lord William Mooton and they had seized the port by force of arms and violently straightened it out, although held officially by House Mooton it was an outpost of House Wallian as William was too beholden and afraid to go against Boros so it was here that the Reach soldiers landed.

Boros was already waiting for them when they arrived with his own men camped outside the town along with the men of House Mooton & House Lychester (his wife's house), Harry (who had apparated as close as he could and then done several smaller jumps since he had not been to Port Maril before and was limited to apparating to where he could see) disembarked his ship and walked up to the bearded lord of Riverthorn who he had helped establish.

"Lord Wallian, the siege goes as expected?" Harry asked, they had planned this nearly a year before and he needed to know if it was going as predicted or if something out of the ordinary was happening.

"Yes, the Freys siege Riverrun and are as close as getting inside as a mouse has of taking down a bear." Boros said with grim confidence, Harry sympathised given the man had been forced to live under Frey rule which hopefully would soon be at an end.

"Before we begin the march, which houses joined them and which stand with us?" Harry asked, calling Orion to his arm from the rigging of the ship where his Bloodhawk liked to sleep. He tickled his hawk's beak before tying a message around his leg.

 **-x-**

 _ **Riverrun…**_

From the battlements of the castle Brynden Tully looked down at the chaotic arrangement of tents that made up the Frey camp, honestly he thought with disgust could they not even get a camp structure right but at least he thought with some relief they had brought Edmure to try and use to break the siege. Not exactly going about it right though he thought, threatening to slit his throat first and then backing down when he didn't listen and repeating it the next day in hopes of achieving a different result.

What really left a bitter taste in his mouth though was the houses that had actually joined the bastards!

Haigh and Goodbrook were Frey vassals so that had been expected but the Smallwoods, the Charltons, the Erenfords, the Rootes, the Vyprens and worst of all the Brackens! They had been names Brynden would never have expected to see standing besides such traitors as the Freys he spat in disgust at it all. He could with some thought see why they stood with them; the Rootes wanted control of the Saltpans to ship their goods further afield without having to pay for it, the Vyprens had blood ties to the Freys and wanted more land to expand their power, the Smallwoods too were interested in greater lands, Lord Charlton was a coward and easily bullied by Old Walder as was Lord Erenford.

The Brackens though, that had surprised him. They had perhaps taken against him because he had refused to wed one of their daughters years ago but more likely it was in the hope that they could use influence with Old Walder (the fools that they were) as leverage against the Blackwoods, that feud was so old it was ridiculous Brynden thought to himself. Far more than he had bargained on but he was no too worried, they had enough food to last two years and that was in the worst case.

"So we wait here until the food runs out? That's your plan?" Sandor Clegane asked with anger as he came up to stand with him on the battlements, he was rude but the man had whipped their men into top form and was a strong warrior at their side. Not to mention Brynden thought with mirth it really freaked the Freys out when they saw him on the walls. He was about to answer when a loud screech alerted them to a strange hawk approaching, the Freys tried to shoot it down but it gracefully made its way to the castle walls before landing and sticking out its leg to him.

Sandor and Brynden looked at the strange bird for a moment before Brynden carefully took the message off the hawk's leg before it took flight again and flew back the way it came, the two men looked on it astonishment before Brynden decided to read the message. He smiled before telling Sandor who was impatient to learn what it said.

"Our ally has arrived, now the Freys will get a taste of their own medicine."

Sandor was annoyed at him being so vague but his curiosity was piqued, just who was this 'ally' that Brynden Tully spoke of?

 **-x-**

As Harry led his eight thousand men across the Riverlands alongside Boros Wallain who was commanding not only his own men but also the armies of the Lychesters and Mootons numbering six thousand, they were joined by columns of men flying the Weirwood tree of House Blackwood Ser Lucas giving Harry a grateful nod which he returned as their army swelled.

The Darrys came next, followed not long after by the Pipers, Vances and the Barnells before the largest column came from House Mallister and their growing army now standing at nearly twenty thousand camped not far from Riverrun, hidden by hills however not a single scouting party had been seen so far although Harry and Boros did have a few look outs posted just in case. They did not want the Freys to know they were there until it was too late.

In the tent at the centre of the camp the leaders of the army met to discuss their plan of attack, the sun was now setting and they did not want to fight at night so it would be tomorrow.

"WHY DON'T WE JUST ATTACK THE CAMP NOW!" Lord Mallister yelled, he had been eager for so long now to have his revenge on the Freys for the death of his father. It was the reason he had agreed to his ridiculous charade in the first place but now after all the waiting they delayed.

"Because although they are shit at combat, it is the afternoon and they are reasonably alert not to mention our men have been marching all day and need a rest before they fight." Boros said giving Mallister a stern rebuke which annoyed the proud young lord but nevertheless stopped him shouting. Boros turned to Harry who nodded in agreement before getting up to speak to the gathered Riverlords.

"We attack tomorrow at dawn."

Cries rang about complaining about the early rise which nearly made Harry and Boros roll their eyes in frustration at the laziness and lack of understanding so the pair of them explained the plan, Boros spoke first.

"Our army will attack down hill while the Freys and the rest of the traitors are still rising and are unprepared for battle, also because our men will be charging down hill we will have the momentum."

"But why such an early hour?" One of the lords asked clearly not following what they were saying so Harry getting fed up of this took over.

"The reason I positioned us here is that tomorrow when we attack the sun will be rising and at our backs. If the Freys look towards our army then they will be staring straight into the sun. I think we all know what happens when you do that." He said trying to draw on something they had all done, it then finally dawned on most of them just why they were doing this, Orion nestled on his shoulder butted his head against Harry's so he obliged the bird by gently stroking his plumage.

"They will be blinded...helpless." Lord Tytos Blackwood said with a grin, he was going to enjoy this his sons were likewise grinning.

"So tonight we keep quiet, make sure the Freys are unaware we are here until it is too late." Boros said glad to finally be able to avenge those brave souls lost at the Red Wedding, he and others he knew still had nightmares of that night when they had been slaughtered by the most pathetic of cowards...now at last he thought with satisfaction it was pay back time.

 **-x-**

The Freys and their allies were slow to rise, discipline had not been a trait of their house in many generations and even the other houses which were normally more diligent in such things like security followed their lead and allowed alertness to slacken and wither. So sure were they of their victory that why not lay back and relax, they had nothing to fear and no one would dare attack them...they were lords of the Riverlands after all!

So they were comfortable and happy to take their time to wake and have their breakfast as the sun rose. The lack of look outs and patrols left them clueless as the force loyal to the Tullys massed on the hill with their Reach allies, both cavalry and infantry glaring at the Frey camp below as they waited for the horn that signalled them to start their charge. Harry handed it over to Boros who took it with a grateful nod before he pressed it to his lips and blew hard as he, Harry and all their men began the charge down hill.

The sound echoed across the hills, the Freys and their allies were surprised at its suddenness of the horn blast not to mention the sudden rumbling of thousands of horses' hooves and human feet. They looked around for the source and instantly regretted it as they felt the sun shining right in their eyes, they instantly looked away as sun spots danced in their eyes leaving unable to see anything which only made the rumbling seem louder. The few that avoided being blinded by the sun were horrified at the sight of thousands of men coming screaming down the hill straight at them, trapped by the moat of Riverrun on one side and the enemy coming down the hill on the other there was no escape.

The cavalry reached the edge of the camp first, swinging their swords at the unprepared Frey soldiers most of whom had no weapon to hand or armour on. Harry easily severed one man's head from his neck as he rode past on Storm, he rode past men and was left and right slashing at them with his sword _Orphanmaker_ in hand. Despite being even in numbers more or less, their side was slaughtering the Freys, too sluggish were they and too unprepared to fight back with the few that did being overwhelmed quickly. It was a scene of utter carnage as blood turned the earth red and guts and entrails spilt on the ground.

Some tried running, it did them no good though as knights on horseback chased them down without mercy and butchered them.

Harry with Boros at his side fought their way into the centre of the camp where a single solitary tent contained their objective.

Inside Lord Edmure Tully sat chained to the pole looking more like a beggar than a man of noble birth, caked in dirt and his hair was knotted and greasy. He heard the sounds of something happening and guessed from the screams of men that it was an attack, had they breached Riverrun somehow he wondered knowing that if so he would soon be back in his cell at the Twins but the sound he realised was too close for that. He was at a loss to explain it when two men burst into the tent, one he recognised immediately as one of his strongest vassals Lord Boros Wallian. The other man however was younger than him and a complete stranger.

"My lord are you well?" Boros asked he came forward and unlocked the manacles, Edmure rubbed his sore wrists and said.

"Thank you Lord Wallain, I am far better for being out of those but can I ask what is going on? I thought you had abandoned House Tully." Edmure asked, all the taunts sent his way by the Frey guards reminding him that none of his vassals had risen up to save him. It had been a sobering thought.

"Never my lord, we were just in need of new allies and to regroup our forces. Your uncle took back Riverrun to draw them out of the Twins and you with them so we could rescue you, not to mention we had to find out which houses were truly loyal to House Tully first." Boros said firmly as he offered Edmure a drink of water which he took eagerly, Edmure then turned to the other man the stranger and saw his armour was well made and his sword Valyrian steel. A lord certainly but not a Riverlander and he had known most of the Northern lords during the war so it could not be one of them.

"And you are?" Edmure asked wondering just who he was, the stranger smiled and offered his hand which Edmure shook before he answered.

"Lord Harry Tyrell of Bloodstone, we meet at last Lord Tully."

 **-x-**

Edmure was fast to take advantage of the chance to have a bath and a hair cut before he appeared before his lords, he found some clothes that fitted him so for the first time in nearly a year he felt human, walking out of the tent he was staggered at the bloody spectacle he was confronted with. He had seen battlefields of course but the one sided slaughter of House Frey and their allies was unlike anything Edmure had ever seen. Bodies littered the ground everywhere but it was all Freys and their allies, very few other houses could be seen here. Boros and Lord Tyrell had certainly done a good job planning this Edmure thought with amazement.

Coming to the most open area of the camp he saw banners belonging to Houses Blackwood, Wallian, Lychester, Mooton, Darry, Piper, Vance, Barnell and Mallister had been set up next to the Tully trout. It honestly warmed his heart to see so many of his vassals had actually stayed loyal to his family, speaking of family though he noticed his stern and difficult uncle coming towards him, given he had not seemed to care about saving him while the Freys had a dagger at his throat he expected a lecture from the old man about how stupid he had been to get caught but instead Edmure was surprised when he gave him a manly hug and smiled.

"There are so few of our family left lad, we need to stick together." Brynden said deciding not to be so hard on the boy from now on, maybe he might finally grow up after this experience. Brynden of course was thinking of the recent death of Lysa and her son, another blow to House Tully and the fact that all of Catelyn's boys were dead too. Other than he and his nephew only Catelyn's girls Sansa and Arya were left now and he was not sure where they were. Rumour had it that they were trying to put an army together to retake Winterfell and if it was true he would certainly go up and help if he could.

Edmure shocked by the old man's strange behaviour nevertheless nodded and returned the hug before they broke apart and he cast his eye around the lords who stood beneath their flags, giving each a grateful smile before looking to the prisoners at the centre and his smile disappeared like it had never been there, replaced by a cold scowl.

"Never in the history of House Tully have we suffered so many betrayals in a year." Edmure said looking at the captured lords in front of him. "Some you I thought were friends." He said looking particularly at Lord Bracken who just glared back. Edmure ignored him though and said. "The moment I get my son from the Twins I will ensure he learns the importance knowing just which of his vassals to keep close and which to watch."

His speech was interrupted by a sudden sniggering coming from the Frey that had been leading the siege, Lothar Frey one of Old Walder's many sons and a vicious one at that. When he realised that it had been noticed he tried to hide it but a sharp pain his shoulder stopped him and looking up he saw Harry Tyrell glaring down at him.

"What did you mean by that?" He demanded and Lothar wanted to spit and hurl abuses at him but he couldn't for some reason and worse he for reasons he didn't know answered the question (not understanding Harry was using a compulsion charm on him).

"He has no son, Roslin is barren all she can do is look pretty." Lothar said simply with a sneer at the thought of his useless sister. "Her supposed son is just another of my father's bastards."

The silence following that statement was tense and all of them looked at Lothar with surprised disgust. Edmure most of all, feeling like he had taken a punch to the gut he had been so glad to hear that he had a son even if he had never seen him now that it turned out was just another way to torture him. Anger welled up inside as a year of abuse and degradation pushed him past his limit.

"If there is no son then the Freys are no kin of mine and will receive no mercy, all who carry the Frey name man or woman, bastard or true born will die." Edmure said causing many to look at him with shock, Lothar was terrified at his words especially when Edmure took the sword from his surprised uncle and walked over and slit his throat. They all looked at Edmure with surprise as he stood over the corpse of Lothar Frey.

"We march on the Twins as soon as possible but first there is the matter of the treason of those who followed the Freys." Edmure said glaring the other captured lords who all started begging given what had just happened to Lothar but Edmure yelled out.

"SILENCE!"

They all fell quiet and Edmure made his decision there and then about how they would be punished.

"None of you will be executed instead you and your families will all live the rest of your miserable lives in the dudgeons of Riverrun while your lands are given to others. Lord Bracken, your daughters will be given over to Lord Blackwood who I am sure will not mind wedding his eldest son to your eldest daughter Barbara since they are the same age. All of your lands will become House Blackwood's, your daughters may find husbands in his other sons but I will leave that up to him and a few pieces of additional land will be granted once they are secured." Edmure said sharply. Bracken looked horrified and tried to speak but was gagged by one of the men. Lord Blackwood looked surprised but gave his lord a nod to show his agreement to those terms. Edmure returned it glad of his loyalty before turning to the rest who all started to really wish they had never supported House Frey.

"The lands of Haigh will be awarded to Lord Mallister to do with as he sees fit while Goodbrook lands will be given over to Lord Vance, the Darrys will have dominion over Roote lands and Vyprens will hand their lands over to the Lychesters and Lord Wallain will gain control of lands belonging to the Smallwoods and the Charltons. The Erenfords castle and lands will be seized for House Tully. Actual details will be handled later but that is how it will be dealt with your now." Edmure said remembering to reward those that fought for him and punish those who betrayed him, his father had taught him that.

All the lords looked happy with his declarations but Edmure had one more turning to Lord Mooton who had seen fit to join them after failing to fight in the battle, leaving Boros to command his men.

"Lord Mooton I seem to be in need of a new wife, all other ladies in the Riverlands are either too young or otherwise taken so if you permit it I intend to take your daughter Eleanor as my second wife. I will meet with yourself and Lord Wallain to discuss the details later." Edmure said to a shocked Lord Mooton who eagerly started nodding, eager to see his daughter as the new Lady of Riverrun. The other lords all looked a bit put out, those that had daughters but Eleanor Mooton was the closest woman noble of their group in age to Edmure that was not already married so they accepted it.

After all they had a march to begin soon, Brynden looked at his nephew with worry some things went too far and killing all the Freys especially the children might be more than the nobles could stand.

 **-x-**

The siege of the Twins was over in a surprisingly short space of time, Old Walder's decision to force men into working to repairing his castle had backfired as they had deliberately slowed the work and made errors, compromising its defences. The few guards left could not even close the portcullis with the mechanism in such bad condition and with so few men left they had not been able to man the walls.

It was over in less than an hour, they hadn't even needed siege weapons they had marched straight in and most Freys had thrown down their weapons immediately. Not that it did them any good as in the fields outside the castle Old Walder was dragged in front of the crowd while Edmure took out his sword.

The old weasel begged and begged for his life but it did not stop Edmure from taking his sword beheading the old bastard. There were so many sons and grandsons that it would have taken him all day and a busted shoulder to get them all himself so the other lords and knights joined in. It took nearly an hour but soon all that were left where the young children and the women, Edmure for a moment had a second of doubt about having them killed too, seeing the youngest clinging to toys and the hands of their mothers or sisters in fright of the man that had killed their father or grandfather, scared stiff of him. The innocence of the whole thing struck him hard.

He caught a look in the eyes of his uncle who shook his head, he knew the old man would never hurt a child so now he had to wonder just what to do with them. He had no intention of letting them keep the castle so he made a decision that would he knew be perhaps even more harsh but ease his conscience.

"The rest of you will be spared but none of you hold the Twins, instead you will be banished from the Riverlands. Should any return, you will be killed." Edmure said grimly, all the women and children looked shocked and dismayed knowing they were in for a hard struggle to survive. The other lords all looked uncomfortable but accepted it. "My uncle hence forth will hold the Twins and I announce the alliance of House Tully to the Tyrells of Bloodstone."

A cheer went up and Brynden Tully looked annoyed at being chained down to a castle while Sandor who would no doubt be master at arms laughed his head off. Harry watched knowing better than to interfere as these was Edmure's problems, however he had gotten what he wanted Harry thought with a smile the Riverlands were free of Frey control and he had an ally that would support him & Rhaenys when the time came to seize the throne.

* * *

In Winterfell the Boltons received word of the death of Lord Walder Frey and his kin, not to mention the fact the Tullys had regained control of their lands. Roose thought for a second about using his wife's Frey blood to press a claim for the Twins but with his support still limited that would have to wait until the situation was more stable here in the North before he could ride south and claim the Riverlands for the Boltons, ruling two kingdoms did appeal to him but for now he would be patient. He stroked the hilt of _Ice_ as he thought, wondering where else in the North he might find allies.

Across the North though many houses celebrated in secret, in the Riverlands and other places too as at long last one of the plotters of the Red Wedding had finally met their doom. The words of the Old Gods spoken at the Red Wedding seemed to ring true and all eyes turned North to see if House Bolton would soon join the Freys in hell.

* * *

 _ **A Brothel, Kings Landing...**_

Bronn was enjoying himself immensely as he lay back while a whore rode him, she was not one he had seen before but she was talented. They been at it all day and she hardly seemed tired, in fact he was the one that would soon have to take a break to give his poor cock a chance to recover before it fell off.

Soon he came inside her, not caring in the slightest if she got pregnant why should he care about any bastard even if he fathered it? He got up and went to get so wine, just reaching the table where the pitcher was when suddenly a surprising strong grip wrapped itself around his neck and he felt the sharp burning pain as a knife was dragged across his neck, blood flowing out of the gaping wound before he knew what was happening.

Bronn as he fell to the floor was so confused he had only seconds before he lost consciousness and died drowning in his own blood, he only had time to hear words whispered to him in a language he did not recognise.

"Valar morghulis."

* * *

 _ **Inn in the Crownlands…**_

Loras Tyrell and his company of knights rode in disguise to the inn, hoping that they had not attracted too much attention. A number of Crownlords had recently contacted him and begged for a meeting as according to them Cersei had become too much for them to bare any more and they wanted an alliance with the Reach for a chance to overthrow her. Loras had thought it a good chance to secure more power and influence for his house and was so sure in his judgement that he had not even told grandmother about it, he loved her very much but she was overbearing sometimes and he wanted to prove himself as Lord of the Reach on his own.

It was dark by the time he and his men reached the inn, tying up the horses they made their way inside seeing it was surprisingly quiet, though Loras did noticed Lord Rosby the representative of the Crownlords that wanted to join him sitting at a table near the fire. Loras walked over and his five men stayed close to him, Lord Rosby looked up hearing him approach and smiled before saying.

"Now."

The word confused Loras and his knights for a moment until from all over the inn the patrons got up and pulled out rough spiked clubs or maces, Loras' men had no chance at all as they without armour were impaled in the chest or head while Loras trying to reach for his sword felt the rough robed men grabbing his arms and hold them behind his back leaving him powerless as his anger rose at the betrayal.

"HOW DARE YOU! I AM LORD OF THE REACH!" He yelled at them only for a small chuckle to come from the nearby stairs.

"You think a title grants you power or a castle or even an army?" A voice said as someone descended the stairs. "Have you ever ploughed a field? Built a home? No I think not, the poor and powerless people of this world individually may be weak but together we can topple empires. Nothing is impossible for those that stand in the light of the Seven."

The owner of the voice finally arrived at a point where Loras could see him and the man could not have been further from what he had been expecting, an old man with tattered and dirty robes who unknown to him was called the High Sparrow.

 **-x-**

 _ **The Red Keep, Kings Landing…**_

Cersei sipped her wine as she chuckled at how easy it had been to lure Loras Tyrell into a trap, laughable really she thought with sinister mirth. He was so eager to make a good show of himself that getting him to where they needed him was simple and the mention of his homosexuality was more than enough to get the High Sparrow to go after him. Now Loras Tyrell was their hostage it would make sure his family did as she said Cersei thought with certainty.

Qyburn entered her chamber and knelt, she was glad that someone remembered to respect the queen she thought and with a look bid him to speak.

"Your grace, I have received word Loras Tyrell is secure we will move him around to keep his family from launching a rescue mission but there is a matter of some urgency. No trading ships have arrived in the last two weeks." Qyburn told her.

"What of it? Ships sink or are late." Cersei said dismissively, what concern was it of hers that no ships had come to the city. Qyburn however already knew why the ships had not come and it was a matter that needed to be dealt with urgently.

"No your grace, it seems that the Iron Bank has enforced a trading embargo on Kings Landing or any port we control. None of its existing trading partners will risk trading with us and risk losing their business. Our food stores and limited coin will eventually be empty without foreign trade." Qybrun told her and Cersei went from amused to furious in the blink of an eye, how dare those peasants across the Narrow Sea think they had power over her! She was the queen!

However anything else she might have thought was stopped in its tracks by a group of Sparrows breaking into her room and dragging her kicking and screaming to the Sept of Baelor for questioning about accusations levelled against her by the newest member of the Faith Militant Lancel Lannister, about her husband's death and a few other things like adultery.

* * *

 _ **Highgarden, the Reach…**_

News of Loras' capture spread quickly and Olenna was left with her head in her hands at his stupidity at being lured into such an obvious trap. She knew from her spies that Rosby had met with Cersei and this High Sparrow a couple of weeks prior to the ambush at the Great Sept and it did not take a genius to figure out why. Now however she was left with the terrible predicament that her eldest grandson and the Lord of the Reach was a hostage of the Lannisters and the Faith Militant. She reached for parchment immediately...she needed Harry to come to Highgarden at once and be informed of the situation perhaps together they could somehow turn this situation around.

* * *

 _Well that's Chapter 28, a lot happened and I know some people will be angry at me killing Bronn but that's the Game of Thrones._

 _Please review and let me know what you think?_

 _ **Next Chapter**_ _– The truth is out, Harry and Olenna are left with a crisis and the North is set to erupt._


	29. Chapter 29 Ante Bellum

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _It is a shorter chapter than normal as we build to the beginning of the next war, between this and planning my next story I am knee deep in research._

 _ **Warning** – Some gore and scenes some might find upsetting._

 **Chapter 29 – Ante Bellum**

 _ **Bloodstone, the Stepstones…**_

Harry sighed as he sat at his desk and worked through the enormous pile of paperwork that came with running the vast territories he had under his control, increased by the recent addition of Myr and the Disputed Lands. It would be a while yet before it all calmed down so for now he was very busy with his inner circle trying to deal with it.

That was until a one of their guards came running into the room with an urgent message from Highgarden, he took it and read it, seeing immediately that it was from his grandmother and when his eyes moved down the page he tensed and his gaze became angry. He leapt to his feet and told the guard with a sharp and stern voice.

"Get the _Silence_ ready to sail immediately and a company of our best men to join me, I have to sail to the Reach."

"My lord, what has happened?" The guard asked and Harry grimaced as he answered.

"My brother had been kidnapped."

 **-x-**

 _ **Karhold, the North...**_

The cold northern air made Harald breath in deep as he looked around with satisfaction, he honestly had never felt better. The Starks had been dethroned and at last they had a true Northerner in Winterfell, he had heard that the Stark girls were planning on some kind of rebellion but they were only half southern girls, what threat could they pose? He thought laughing quietly to himself.

A commotion in the yard though stopped him from laughing as he looked down, his men he noticed looked excited for some reason and he wondered if some merchant or attractive woman had arrived and went down the steps to see for himself only to freeze when he saw just what had his men so excited.

Torrhen, his elder brother the one he had left for dead in the south on the understanding he would be executed stood whole and healthy in the yard. He shook men' hands and smiled as they greeted him and when the maester came up to him gave the man a hug which the older man returned at once.

"TORRHEN!" A voice called out with excitement which only made Harald wince as Alys their younger sister appeared and ran over to embrace their brother, Torrhen far bigger and stronger than any of his siblings caught her and twirled her around in his arms which made a laugh ring around the yard. Harald meanwhile feeling very nervous at what his older brother's return could mean as quietly as he could towards the stables to get a horse and ride for Winterfell immediately to seek his lord's help. However he was stopped in his tracks by the sharp voice of his sister.

"YOU TOLD US HE WAS DEAD!" The accusation echoed and Harald looked around to see all eyes had now focused on him and his nervousness became true fear as he saw the angry and betrayed look in his brother's eye. Torrhen knew Harald thought with fear what he had done to their father and too him as well.

"Arranging for your father to die and your brother to be abandoned and then executed so you could rule here at the foot of House Bolton? Honestly I have never heard such a story in the history of House Karstark, stabbing your own kin in the back for a scrap of power from the greatest group of traitors in the North." An unfamiliar young female voice said, the crowd parted slightly as two girls accompanied by two enormous direwolves and an entourage of knights and a very tall woman walked forward. Whispers immediately broke out, "Its the Ladies Stark" and Harald felt instantly angry that his brother had allied himself with them but was not able to say anything as Torrhen came over and with a single hard punch, knocked him out.

 **-x-**

"Take him to the cells, we will deal with him later." Torrhen ordered before turning to his sworn ladies. "What shall we do with him?"

Sansa shared a look with Arya, the Night's Watch might be too good for such a traitor and Jon was still there they both remembered. They did not want to have to give their half brother such a headache to deal with. Then Arya had a flash of inspiration.

"Don't let the Boltons know that you have regained control of House Karstark." She blurted out and everyone looked at her with surprise. "If the Boltons think they still have your men they will be far more complacent."

"Good idea Lady Stark, with your men and mine we have far more cavalry than they do so it will give us a great advantage on the field." Ser Lothor Brune said with an eager grin, it had taken time but he had managed to restore his five hundred horsemen and now stood ready to work with the Stark girls...they might be women he thought with some chauvinism but so far they were far better than most of the men he had served in his life. So he would put his men to their cause, see if they like their brother was worth the effort.

Sansa meanwhile was taking stock of the situation; thanks to the return of House Karstark to the fold and Ser Lothor Brune bringing his men to their side along with the Forresters, Mormonts and Manderlys they had around nine thousand men, nearly half of which was cavalry. Not a small number but even with that she knew to be careful, the Boltons had considerable numbers on their side too and they still didn't know for sure just who was on their side yet.

Their personal escorts stood around her and Arya with great vigilance as the Karstark men crowded around them, Lady Brienne and the company of Riverlands knights from their great-uncle as well as Gendry the former blacksmith who continued to follow Arya around. Her sister was a little uncomfortable about it but the young man's crush on her was at least true in his 'admiration' of her Sansa thought with some amusement. Arya had never really thought about boys in that way before as her body was blossoming she would soon see things in a different light.

 **-x-**

 _ **Winterfell, the North…**_

Roose Bolton looked at a map of the North and frowned, the balance of power was looking alarmingly even to him right now. Although he had the Karstarks, the Glovers and the Skargosi on side he looked into what houses were staying neutral and those that would likely side with the Starks. Adding it up he was worried that their numbers were roughly even so he was worried that they might have a chance of taking Winterfell and he needed more allies, hopefully the ones sitting right across from him.

Other than his own house the two houses that had the most issues with or hatred towards House Stark were the Ryswells and the Dustins. Lord Ryswell had been insulted by Brandon Stark when he had refused to marry his daughter Barbrey after seducing her and then he lost sons & brothers in Robert's Rebellion and received nothing in return. Lady Barbrey Dustin on the other hand aside from Brandon's abandonment and her uncles and brothers dying, had her husband Lord Dustin who had perished at the Tower of Joy which left her with no heir and too much a shrew to get another husband. That hatred was something Roose hoped would be enough to get them on his side.

"The Starks of the last three generations have cost us all much, led us to disaster. Would you really enjoy having another Stark ruling the North especially two southern educated girls?" Roose asked them and he saw the uncomfortable looks on their faces that told him they weren't in any way happy about it. Lord Ryswell meanwhile was more cautious than his daughter Lady Dustin who looked ready to join right now and asked.

"Who exactly have you got on your side? I won't risk my house if you stand alone."

Roose appreciated that caution, he did not want men at his side that were governed by emotion but instead by practicality. For one it was easier to convince them too see his point of view so Roose answered his question.

"The Skargosi and the Glovers have already come over to my side for one reason or another, not least because of the wealth and extra lands promised to them including Bear Island for the Glovers but also the Karstarks have been with me since the start but you know that already." Roose said and a calculating look appeared on Lord Ryswell's face.

"Tell us more." Lord Ryswell said and Roose never a man to smile covered up his feeling of satisfaction as he knew he had them on board. A servant brought him wine and he sipped it, not noticing the maid was in fact a disguised Myranda who smirked as she walked away.

 **-x-**

Roose's satisfaction was greatly misplaced as he again forgot about Ramsay, the vicious bastard was far smarter than he had ever imagined and knew full well what his father was planning...to replace him with that thing growing inside of the fat new wife. He preferred being an only child Ramsay thought with a great anticipation as he made sure that things stayed that way and that he would no longer have to deal with his father's attempts to replace him.

He smirked as he waited in the kennels with Reek cowering in a cage nearby, Reek was silent with terror not able to say a word unless he wanted him too something that made Ramsay feel a great sense of pride, he could break anyone and make them a worthless shell.

His smirk only grew more sinister as he saw his paramour and partner in sadism Myranda leading the heavily pregnant Walda towards the kennels with a look of kindness that he knew gave her a thrill, making people believe that she was good and on their side before taking great enjoyment in their shock, horror and betrayed looks when the truth was revealed. It was an activity that they enjoyed so much together.

Walda was grateful as Myranda helped her across the yard and towards the keep where her husband had apparently sent for her, she had no idea Ramsay thought still grinning over what had happened to her House in the south. His father had decided to keep it from her until he had his new heir but Ramsay really going to enjoy making sure that didn't happen.

However he suddenly ducked behind a column as Myranda led Walda inside the kennels, telling her it was a shortcut before Ramsay stepped out into view. Walda instantly lost her smile and turned to Myranda who quickly started smirking her own sinister grin as she backed away and firmly shut the gates to make sure there was no escape.

Terror started to appear in her eyes and that only spurred on Ramsay and Myranda more, Reek looked at Walsa with sympathy but could say or do nothing to help her.

"Ramsay please! I'm carrying your brother." Walda pleaded her hand going to her large belly, Ramsay was unmoved and kept his smile in place while Myranda gave an excited giggle.

"I prefer being an only child." Ramsay said and gave a sharp whistle.

Walda screamed as his mutts charged out of their kennels and leapt at her, the snarls and tearing of flesh made Reek wince but Ramsay and Myranda only looked excited, almost organismic at its brutality.

Elsewhere Roose was screaming in pain as it felt like his inside was on fire, Maester Wokkan was struggling to find a treatment but too late did he discover that it was not a single poison but several particularly toxic mushrooms that everyone in the north knew to avoid mixed in with the wine. Roose coughed up blood as his stomach ruptured, he was staring at the door when Ramsay entered and saw the vicious smirk on the face of the bastard he had sired, he glared at him cursing Ramsay for all time. His own death had been at the hands of the vicious son that he should have disposed of years ago, he knew as the pain intensified that Walda and their child were dead already or soon would be so oddly as he slipped into death he hoped the Stark girls would win back Winterfell, solely because it would mean the death of Ramsay if they won.

* * *

 _ **Castle Black, the Wall…**_

Samwell had loaded up the cart and Gilly was sitting on it with baby Sam ready to depart, Samwell turned to Jon who watched them leave with a small smile.

"If the Citadel has anything on the Walkers, I'll find it." Samwell said with a smile as he took the reins and started them off, Jon giving him a grateful nod.

"I've heard the Citadel has so many books they could fill a keep with them, I really wish I could see it." A small voice said nearby and Jon turned to face the young Lady Shireen Baratheon who was told softly by Ser Davos Seaworth.

"Its too dangerous for you to ride to Oldtown your grace. The Tyrells are partly responsible for the death of father and I cannot guarantee your safety there."

"We're not safe anywhere." Shireen said giving a fearful look towards Melisandre who seemed to be lingering in the background. Jon and Davos noticed it too and despite the woman coming to the aid of the Watch, vowed silently to themselves to keep her away from Shireen.

* * *

 _ **Meereen, Slaver's Bay…**_

Daenerys sat in her rooms nursing a goblet of wine as she struggled to cope with the new reality she was faced with, no longer it seemed was she the only dragon in this world...now there was another that apparently was more able to take the Iron Throne that she was. One with heirs and dragons of her own, it was a bitter potion to swallow as she sat there sullen. She honestly knew that the world was unfair, she had known that her entire life but right now it hurt more than usual, all her dreams and focus now seemed so far out of reach it might as well be in the next world.

She could not help but hate her...Rhaenys Targaryen who had stolen her birthright, who would one day be queen and unless she fought her and won the Iron Throne would never be hers. And from what the Spider had told her there was a good chance she would be beaten in a direct fight...by her dragons.

Five other dragons all apparently bigger and stronger than hers, it was bloody humbling she thought. She had started to think privately to herself that her having restored dragons to the world was a sign that she was meant for great things...to restore her family to the throne and more. But her niece had done it years before she had and with more of them, not to mention Rhaenys had far greater control of them than she did. It was a kick in the teeth that she could have done without as now she was lost and had no idea just what to do. Go home and start a war or stay where she was and never see home again, it was horrible and she desperately wanted to go to Westeros but as a queen, a liberator and a restorer not as an invader or a warmonger.

She had not talked to her advisors about this so far as she knew what most of them would say, Grey Worm and Missandei would tell her to go and do what made her happy, Yara would want to go as it meant like her that she could return home, Joss Waters and Ser Barristan would advise that conflict with her own family would be fatal to her rule, Daario would want her to stay so he could continue sleeping with her and possibly become king. There were a lot of different opinions flying around and she really needed a new opinion on the situation before deciding on what to do, so she had turned to the most surprising of her newest followers...Tyrion Lannister.

The small bearded man sat opposite her in his chair drinking wine although how someone so small could drink so much was a question that she had asked herself a few times since they had met the previous day. He poured her a drink too thinking she suspected that he should be polite.

"So have you decided yet? Whether I am worthy of your service?" She asked him, needing to know where he stood on such matters and if she could count on him. He countered with a question of his own.

"Have you decided yet whether you are going to have me killed?" Tyrion asked her and she was a little irritated by this but answered in hopes of getting to the point.

"That's probably my safest option." She admitted still not sure if having a Lannister in her court would be a smart idea after what had happened last time a Targaryen had trusted a Lannister.

"I can see why you would think so." Tyrion admitted taking a sip of his wine before sipping a verbal dagger in. "It's what your father would have done." Daenerys honestly given all she had learned from Ser Barristan about her father disliked the comparison intensely and responded in kind.

"And what would your father have done?"

"My father publicly sentenced me to death, I would have thought his opinion on having me killed were abundantly clear." Tyrion she noticed as he said that was with a mocking disgust, he hated his father with a passion she realised and wondered why.

"Is that why you killed him?" She asked wondering if Tywin had been willing to sentence his own son to death what else had he done to him. However seeing the pained look on Tyrion's face as he answered told her it must be worse than anything she had imagined.

"Someday if you decide not to execute me I'll tell you all about why I killed my father but on that day should it eve come we will need a lot more wine than this." He said, unknown to Daenerys thinking of his lost wife and the role not only Tywin and Jaime had played but also his own position in that sordid story. If he ever did tell her about it he would need to be very drunk indeed.

Daenerys took a sip of her own wine before making an admission of her own.

"I know what my father was...what he did...I know the Mad King earned his name. Ser Barristan told me." She said taking a sip of her wine to strengthen herself for that omission.

"Ser Barristan's integrity is a thing of legend, he has never spoken such a falsehood before." Tyrion said admiring the old knight for his honesty which could well have gotten him killed. "So here we sit two terrible children with two terrible fathers."

"I'm terrible?" Daenerys said with slight surprise and a bit anger.

"I've heard stories." Tyrion said earnestly not holding his verbal punches.

"Why did you travel to the far side of the world to meet someone terrible?" She asked not liking the accusation in the slightest.

"To see if you were the right kind of terrible." Tyrion answered, which confused her.

"And what kind is that?"

"The kind that stops your people from becoming something worse." Tyrion said and she grimaced as he thought about her most recent decisions.

"Well I did reopen the fighting pits, under my rule murder will once again become entertainment." She said bitterly only to be surprised again when Tyrion gave words of approval.

"Yes that was wise, and you agreed to marry someone you loath for the greater good. Very impressive." Tyrion told her before looking into the distance as if lost in his own thoughts. "My own sister married someone she loathed, not by choice and certainly not for the greater good gods forbid. She ended up having him killed." She said looking at her with a probing look that she honestly was uncomfortable with as she stared back.

"I hope it won't come to that." She told him and that seemed to have an effect although she was not sure what.

"Perhaps Varys was right about you after all." He said taking another sip of his wine.

Her mind turned to Varys again, her hatred of him still lingered even if he was the reason she and Viserys had stayed alive long enough to grow up. She did her best to put that aside for the moment as she came to what she really wanted to talk about.

"I'm not going to kill you." She said seriously. "Nor banish you, I want you to advise me...especially on the Tyrells of Bloodstone, while you can speak in complete sentences." She added taking the wine from his hand before he could get too drunk.

Tyrion frowned at the wine being taken away but more-so on what she was asking about, a secret that he like her had only just learnt but had more to say on so he did his best.

"The Tyrells of Bloodstone are probably the single most powerful house in all of Westeros now, aside from their own considerable army and navy both of which are experienced and well equipped." Tyrion said being as honest as he could with what facts he had. "They have both the Reach and Dorne on their side not to mention large portions of the Stormlands which gives them more than enough men to take Westeros by force if they so wish. I suspect the only reason they haven't so far is to remove all support my sister might have before seizing the throne which implies they had trying to limit the killing as best they can but when they do make a move it will certainly be...spectacular." Tyrion told her before moving on to its leaders.

"While I know nothing of your niece I have met Lord Harry Tyrell several times and he is without a doubt a force in his own right, I saw him fight in the defence of Lys which now bends the knee to him not to mention he saved my life in the Trial by Combat by killing five knights of the Kingsguard in minutes although admittedly only a couple of them were anything more than thugs. He is an expert warrior and one of the finest generals you will find in Westeros, he defeated the defences of Dragonstone in less than a day, not to mention he led the Sacking of Volantis and crushed the Iron Born. He has a code of honour but given how well he hid having a Targaryen for a wife all these years he has considerable skill as an actor, he has a capable court of his own and the wealth to back his army. Conflict with him is sure to bloody and harsh." Tyrion told her thinking much on the man he had honestly respected, maybe respected even more now because he and his wife had fooled everyone and now stood ready to establish a new dynasty of their own.

Daenerys absorbed this information and pondered, she had always imagined there were those who would support her when she arrived in Westeros because of her family name now however the overwhelming force her niece apparently commanded was troubling.

"If I decided to go to Westeros I too would have a large army and dragons at my back, why should I accept her rule when I have a claim of my own?" She asked and Tyrion gave her a dead-panned look before drawing a lesson that might make her understand his point.

"When Jaehaerys the first and Viserys the first ruled Westeros it was known as the golden age, wealth and food were plentiful even for the common folk. The coffers were full and peace firmly reigned under a large and powerful House Targaryen which had more members and dragons than ever before...then when Viserys died two Targaryens both put forth a claim for the throne Rhaenyra his eldest daughter and Aegon his son. Rhaenyra was the designated heir but Aegon was Viserys' oldest living son and more crucially a man, both had dragons and many supporters which all erupted in a war known to all of Westeros as the Dance of the Dragons. The Black faction of House Targaryen versus the Green faction of House Targaryen and they fought for two years over who would rule. When the dust settled, both claimants were dead as were most of House Targaryen and their dragons. Aegon the third who took the throne when still a child hated dragons forever more after seeing them kill his mother and allowed House Targaryen's dragons to die out rather than save them. Your house never really recovered after that and never again were they so numerous or had dragons, until now that is."

Daenerys had never heard that story before and it troubled her, she had never known that her house had lost their dragons due to infighting between siblings for power, for the Iron Throne and uncomfortably she could well see herself and what she imagined her niece would look like fighting with their dragons in the skies of Westeros. That her dragons and her niece's would die and them too, leaving Rhaenys' children to pick up the pieces just as Aegon the third had done. It was sobering and the image disturbed her more than she liked to admit.

But was it enough to give up the Iron Throne for she thought, not sure what to do.

 **-x-**

 _ **The Red Keep, Kings Landing…**_

Tommen looked so small on the Iron Throne Jaime thought with worry, even with his recent growth spurt he was still only a lad and looked so confused at all that was going on around him especially when Cersei had been arrested for incest and having Robert killed. Jaime honestly was so concerned that the throne and the pressure of the crown could break his secret son.

"Ser Jaime...Uncle what am I to do?" The young lad said with a glistening in his eye, which made him look even more vulnerable. "Mother is imprisoned and I do nothing! People must think me so useless, so stupid but what should I do?"

Jaime wanted to wrap Tommen in a hug but he couldn't as regardless of their connection Tommen was the king and he a member of the Kingsguard, he couldn't be too familiar much to his own regret. Still he could provide some comfort.

"You are preventing another war in the heart of the city by not being aggressive, you are doing your duty by the people by making sure they are fed and safe and running your country. It is not your job to rescue your mother from a prison of her own making, besides she is a cunning woman I am sure she can get out of it." Jaime said with a smile which Tommy did return albeit much dimmer.

"True are Ser Lannister's words, your mother committed these crimes and she will face judgement but now she will be released by admitting her crimes and doing a Walk of Atonement. It will cleanse her of her crimes by stripping her of her pride young king." The High Sparrow said as he entered the throne room like he owned it, Jaime gritted his teeth with irritation but what really worried him was that Tommen had given the High Sparrow his full attention. Jaime grew very concerned about the hold the Faith had gained on his son and he seemed powerless to stop it.

 **-x-**

Cersei had never felt so full of hate.

As she walked through the streets of the city, feeling the dirt on her naked feet and the impacts of rotten food and muck that was being thrown at her, the wind around her exposed neck as her long golden hair had been cut off, the indignity of it...she refused to let them see her tears of distress they did not deserve to see her weak.

She endured the words being directed at her by all the peasants around her and the calls of "Shame" by Sister Unella who she swore to herself would die screaming.

She much to her own relief arrived at the gates of the Red Keep where guards stopped the screaming peasants from following her in and she found one of her maids and Qyburn waiting for her with a half dozen men dressed in red lion themed armour.

"Your brother has arranged for the guards, a bath and a change of clothes for you immediately your grace." The maid said offering her a cloak to wear which she quickly took and despite her recent difficulties with Jaime, Cersei did feel a spark of gratitude for that at least. But she turned to Qyburn next who smiled as he said.

"These are your new guards, assembled from the volunteers that survived my training." He implied and she knew full well they were the products of his experiments but the complete lack of feeling in their eyes, the completely still way they held themselves made her smile a little.

They would be useful to her in the days ahead Cersei thought to herself, but first she would have to see if there was any truth to something her brother had told her once years ago while basking drunk in the afterglow of sex...about what the Mad King had been planning to do to the city before Jaime had killed him.

* * *

 _ **Highgarden, the Reach…**_

Harry rode with his men to the castle he had been born in with all speed, he could not believe that Loras would be so stupid as to be lured into such an obvious trap but then again Harry thought as he pushed Storm hard to reach the castle as soon as possible, he was very much their father's son.

The castle gates were open allowing him to ride straight in, and he leapt from his horse at the stables, allowing the stable-boys to tend to his horse while the rest of his men did and the same and followed him. He could only hope the situation had not gotten worse since he left Bloodstone but he knew that typically if it could go wrong it would. The servants all looked very relieved at the sight of him, taking comfort in his presence and sure things would soon be back to normal.

He walked quickly through the corridors to his grandmother's personal solar, the first thing he noticed in alarm was that she seemed to have aged years since he had last seen her at the wedding of Margaery and Dickon. He did not like it at all and was hit with the fact that his grandmother was getting far too old to keep up with all this.

"Grandmother." Harry said with worry, she turned to face him but did not admonish him for his concern which only made that grow bigger.

"Harry, I am glad you came." She said with a tired voice. "I don't know what possessed Loras to go there."

"His own pride probably but I will get him back grandmother." Harry told her, not sure how he would achieve this but he would try. Olenna then revealed what she had learnt of the situation since sending the letter.

"That had occurred to me." She said a bit of her old fire coming back into her eyes much to his relief. "But this 'High Sparrow' is smarter than I had hoped, he keeps moving Loras around so we can't rescue him as he is never in the same place for long enough for my spies to pin him down. The only good bit of news is that he has broken his alliance with Cersei Lannister so she no longer has any sway over Loras' fate."

That was interesting news Harry thought but not useful to him as given the size of Kings Landing finding Loras in time to rescue him even with magic was going to be tricky since he didn't even know where to start. He would try with the glass candles but recently they had been difficult to light and whenever they did all you could see was the White Walkers like they were so powerful they drew its gaze which was troubling but he would try.

He took his grandmother's hand and squeezed it, she shook her head at the gesture but squeezed back all the same, glad to have her family behind her although both decided given Margaery recently discovered pregnancy it would be best to keep her in the dark until the situation was resolved.

* * *

 _ **Winterfell, the North…**_

Ramsay Bolton stood in the hall of his castle feeling more pleased with himself than ever, finally he had no one left to prevent him following his own desires and wants and right now he was wondering if the Stark girls were stronger women than he had dealt with before? Could they withstand it when he played with them? Would they scream? What would it take to make them scream? He honestly was considering taking them alive just to play with them and the one that survived would be his wife, it would be amusing if nothing else to see Myranda squirm and fume at their presence. If she tried to kill them before he wanted then he would of course give her the same treatment he had to all the other girls he had gotten bored with over the years...perhaps he thought to himself he might name a dog after her.

But what really put a smile on his face was the fact that the Umbers, supposedly one of the most loyal vassals of House Stark were here bending the knee to him in hope of getting help against the wildlings but not just that, better was the fact the quivering in front of him was Rickon Stark, the last son of Eddard Stark.

We'll see what the boy's sisters did about that he thought with a sinister grin.

 **-x-**

In the far north as he taught Brandon Stark to wield his power the Three Eyed Raven kept a firm watch on events unfolding south of the Wall and beyond. He saw Rickon Stark being handed over while his sisters remained unaware he was even alive.

He saw at Castle Black the pathetic and worthless traitors ambush and betray Jon Snow, stabbing their blades into him but although this worried him immensely given the powerful Others were descending the south his visions told him not to count the wolf/dragon boy out yet.

He saw in Highgarden the Tyrell boy and his grandmother plotting to rescue the other boy Loras who sat dirty and disgraced in a dank and dark cell.

He saw the plotting of the jealous Cersei Lannister as she sat in her bath, planning to destroy her enemies in the worst possible ways

He saw in Meereen his many time great niece being ambushed by men in harpy masks and flying away on the back of her dragon towards Dothraki lands were she might find a larger army or the end of her journey.

He frowned in his cave, not seen by his young guests or Leaf but things seemed to be coming to a head he thought and the future of the entire world may well be decided in the next few days.

* * *

 _I know people will be annoyed that House Umber still betrayed House Stark but it suits the story to keep them there. I did also think about changing what happened to Walda but this is Ramsay...probably the sickest character in Game of Thrones._

 _I hope you enjoyed this chapter regardless and hope you let me know what you thought._

 _ **Next Chapter**_ _– Battles are waged in the North and True North, plans are afoot in Kings Landing and the future of House Stark is decided._


	30. Chapter 30 Final Pieces

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _First off I am sorry for the delay in this chapter, I got hit with a major case of writer's block._

 _In the last chapter's reviews someone suggested Harry could just use the Point Me Spell to find Loras but there are two problems with that; one the point me spell gives only general direction not distance which is fine at short range but in a city the size of Kings Landing would be next to useless. Second Harry would have to given the aforementioned size walk through the entire city waving his hand around to try and find his brother. Even with notice me not charms which only last an hour before they have to be reapplied it would take forever._

 _There is another reason the charm can't help though, I will reveal it in this chapter..._

 **Chapter 30 – Final Pieces**

 _ **Castle Black, the Wall…**_

The body of Jon Snow lay on a table in the Lord Commander's room, around it stood the dejected faces of Davos, Grenn, Edd, Shireen and a number of other men and a mournful looking wolf. Melisandre hung in the background looking at the corpse with confusion, her visions had said he was Azor Ahai and when she looked into the flames in the hearth they still did.

"I have heard that you can bring back the dead." Davos said, shaking his head in what he was about to ask. He honestly thought that she served a demon but right now they were in desperate need of help. The true enemy was coming and the pathetic band of Ser Alliser Thorne was obsessed with wildlings and making himself king of the hill. They needed men of quality and valour to lead them in this battle, not pricks like Thorne.

"If my lord wills it the soul of the dead can return yes." She said with a smirk seeing now how her visions were to come about. "I may be able to restore Jon Snow to life but if the traitors find him they will kill him again and us too." She reminded them and Davos now nervous as they all even the Princess Shireen turned to him for leadership and he felt more out of his depth than ever but he had to stay strong for everyone else so he thought quickly and made a plan.

"You must go to the Wildling camp and tell them what has happened, bring them here. And you go to the knights camp and do the same." Davos told Edd and Grenn who looked uneasy about leaving but knew they would need help. Their mutual nod confirmed their agreement and Davos turned to the rest of the men in the room and said. "Then we must protect his body while Lady Melisandre does her work." He knew the traitorous watch would come for them sooner or later and could only help arrived before then. They all nodded looking worried but resolved to see this through.

So once Edd and Grenn had stuck out of the Castle Black Davos bolted the door and all of them waited while Melisandre went to work.

 **-x-**

 _ **The Dreadfort, the North…**_

The Dreadfort was one of the largest castles in the North, it had vast lands at its disposal and stood surrounded by rocks to make it harder for an approaching army as there were only a few useable paths.

This made it easy for the very few guards that had been left by Ramsay to guard the castle as he had consolidated most of his men at Winterfell, the high walls and high towers on them were certainly another blessing as now only twenty men protected the castle. The acting steward breathed a sigh of relief as he saw a column of Bolton soldiers coming up the road, he had written several times to Lord Ramsay pleading for more men to defend the Bolton's ancestral home but until now they had been waved off with little assurances. A column of fifty men would be a great boon the twenty that currently guarded the castle.

"Open the gates." The Steward called out to the men there and they slid the bar blocking them free before pulling the thick wooden doors open. The Bolton soldiers from the road marched inside without speaking which was fine with the steward. As they marched up to him however he noticed something odd about one of the men, he was quite short and seemed to have a sword with a wolf styled pommel and crossguard.

However he had no chance to ask about it as the short soldier lifted their head and he was astonished to see a young girl's face with a devilish grin before she pulled her sword from its sheath and stabbed him straight in the gut. The twenty Bolton soldiers had only a second to be shocked the sudden and unexpected attack before the rest of the newly arrived column charged with blood filled battle cries at them, led by the girl who moved with the grace of a dancer and was as deadly as a viper cutting down men with ease.

It was hardly a fight, over in mere minutes as Arya cast off her Bolton helmet and armour, wiping _Wolf's Blood_ clean with the cloak of the now dead steward. The Manderly men that had joined her using stolen Bolton armour began to search the castle, hoping perhaps that they might find something useful or valuable. She herself wandered around the castle and see if any of the rumours about it were true. The great hall had been unfortunately very close as they had skeletal human hands holding up torches that did little to illuminate the dim area, the smoke in this room must have been bad she thought as the rafters of the room were unfortunately black from it.

She shook her head knowing whoever was going to rule this castle in future would need to have some renovations done, so she kept exploring and found the torture chambers which honestly made even her shudder with revulsion but the worst was the room that held what looked like flayed skins, human skins that had House Stark's banner on them and their names stitched into it. It honestly made her glad that only one Bolton remained alive, soon this family would do the North a favour by dying out. Her hand going to her Valyrian sword and swearing to make sure of it after making sure these Starks were given the proper rights in the crypts of Winterfell as they deserved.

"Lady Stark." One of the Manderly men said approaching her, she looked up and gave him her full attention. "We found this in the solar." He handed her a note, apparently from Ramsay Snow to the steward of the Dreadfort and she quickly read before she gasped in surprise and horror.

Her little brother Rickon was alive and in the hands of Ramsay.

They must rally what they can, Arya thought quickly. Aside from the Karstarks and the Manderlys, the Mormonts, the Forresters and the Glenmores, they had recently gained the assistance of the House Hornwood and House Mazin but both of them were only able to give a handful of men. The two thousand men sent by their uncle and great uncle in the south were a boon but most were green and untested.

Worse the letter also said that the Boltons were supported by the Glovers, the Ryswells, the Dustins, strangely the Skargosi but worse of all was that the Umbers had sided with them.

That was been a horrible shock Arya thought reeling, the Umbers had always been so loyal to House Stark never having abandoned them before but now this new lord SmallJon (Arya snidely to wonder if maybe he had that name for a reason) seemed to lack the backbone and integrity of his late father. That put her family at a distinct disadvantage in terms of numbers but they had a larger cavalry than the Boltons did but what worried her most was that Rickon was in Ramsay's hands.

She needed to let Sansa know as soon as possible Arya thought desperately and hoped maybe Harry might be able to help.

* * *

 _ **Highgarden, the Reach…**_

Harry sat at the Lord's desk and looked through the mountain of paperwork that came with running a kingdom the size of the Reach; preparations for winter, taxes, crop yields, crime rates, requests from various lords, complaints from other lords and a million other things that demanded his attention. He was used to it after running his own kingdom for so long but it was certainly more of a drag then he liked, the lords here really could be a bunch of whining babies he thought with annoyance.

His attempts to rescue Loras had been a complete failure, he had moved around the city for hours with point me charms but the response was so weak that Harry was not sure he was even in the city. The High Sparrow could be keeping him outside as a layer of defence against a rescue but there was no way of knowing, they did know where he would be on the day of his 'trial' so they would have to try something then. He had quietly ordered his brother's vassals to prepare their armies but since he was only acting Lord it remained to be seen if they would obey his orders. If they didn't though he would know just who to punish when the time came. He was spending most of time he sat here keeping the lords in line and stopping the jitters going around with his brother's abduction.

One thing that had surprised him was that although word of the dragons helping the conquest of Myr and the Disputed Lands had reached Westeros by now no one seemed to have linked it to him, many believed Daenerys Targaryen was responsible even if she was half the world away at the time...still he thought with a shrug what did it matter for now?

They would know the truth soon enough.

His grandmother was enjoying a much deserved rest in the gardens as he took the strain, Harry knew she would hate 'being treated like an invalid' but she needed the break he thought she was in her eighties now after all.

The gentle pinging of a magic mirror however broke the quiet and he sighed knowing it came from one of the magic mirrors. He reached for the pouch that contained it and the image of Sansa Stark appeared.

"Lady Sansa, I appreciate a chance to hear how you and your sister are doing but right now I am working." Harry said wearily not really needing something else to worry about but the concerned look on the young woman's face told him it was both a problem and important.

"I am sorry for interrupting you Lord Tyrell but something has come up that I desperately need your help with. My youngest brother Rickon is alive and is being held by Ramsay Bolton, we can't get to him in Winterfell but I hoped maybe you can." Sansa said urgently.

Harry was deeply surprised at that, he like many others had believed all the sons of Eddard Stark were dead but apparently there was at least one still alive. While that probably meant that Sansa and Arya would not become the rulers of the North publicly it would be a welcome news for them to have their brother back...the desperate look of hope on Sansa's face started to weaken his resolve and he groaned before saying.

"I will see what I can do, that is all I can say." He said and she with a smile nodded which only made him sigh as the connection was cut, he had enough on his own plate right now without having to infiltrate Winterfell too but if it made the Stark restoration more secure which in turn would make their ascension to the throne more likely too it was worth doing. So he was going to need some furs and a cloak.

 **-x-**

 _ **Horn Hill, the Reach…**_

Samwell had never expected to see his family home again after his father had sent him to the Wall and to be honest he was not at all looking forward to being here. He was glad to see his mother and sister again, seeing his little nephew too although young Randyll was not so little any more. Instead he apparently ran his sister and her husband ragged as the energetic boy ran around to explore everything.

His new good-sister was a surprise, she was at the moment having a rather uncomfortable pregnancy and stuck in bed with very bad morning sickness but from what his mother had told him Margaery was a delight to be around. Both mother and Talla who was visiting to make sure Margaery was alright given the abduction of Lord Loras had cooed at the sight of Little Sam, both Samwell and Gilly were pleased that the illusion of Little Sam being his son was holding up as was the lie that Gilly was a Northern girl and not a Wildling.

That brought him to the reason for the lie...his father. The senior Randyll was as standoffish as Samwell remembered and it honestly was hard not to cower like he had before under his hard gaze. His brother Dickon was just as much of a...dick Samwell chuckled to himself at the unintended private joke, he had hardly grown up at all despite marrying and would soon enough become a father himself. He had once thought that his brother was a better man than him but seeing how he just followed their father like a hound on a lead made him seem so weak that Samwell honestly just pitied him now. Not to mention having put up with the much sterner and angry Alliser Thorne even Randyll seemed far less intimidating.

Amazing what some time away could do for you Samwell thought as he sat down with his 'family' and Gilly for some dinner.

* * *

 _ **Near Winterfell, the North…**_

Wearing his black furs and cloak again Harry would have shivered in the incredible cold if not for the warming charms Harry had applied to it, while he did not want to have to launch another rescue mission with the situation in the south it hopefully would not take too long and ensure the loyalty of the Starks for the coming war. It also might allow him a chance to do something and feel less powerless given how hard it was not being able to find Loras.

So Harry with determination walked under a cloak and a notice me not charm right through the open gates of Winterfell, the sight of so many soldiers made him wonder if his former wards could manage briefly but he shook it off and continued walking. Sansa and Arya were not stupid and knew full well what was arranged against them, he had to trust them to deal with it if they were going to rule.

If they did he thought, Rickon was the next in line for Winterfell after all and he might have very different ideas than his sisters but he smirked as he thought about the two young women that his wife had taught to bend men around their fingers. They would be fine.

Harry was glad to have done his research on this castle before hand, knowing full well were the dudgeons were, the maester in Highgarden had provided a detailed account written by one of his order that had served at Winterfell of how the castle was laid out and thankfully the Starks had done little to change it over the centuries, if it worked then why bother changing anything? Northern practicality at its finest Harry thought with mirth.

As he carefully moved past the guards and into the dudgeons he saw many scenes of horror committed by the castle's insane bastard, Ramsay was even worse than he had imagined with so many disturbing and twisted tortures going on it boggled the mind with how sadistic he was. Joffrey had been more sane than him and that was saying something.

He wondered about assassinating him but decided it would be better to rescue Rickon who he discovered locked in one of the cells dressed in rags and looking terrified. He might be in the midst of his teenage years but still had the mind of a child and Harry instantly felt pity but did not say anything as he walked forward. Rickon finally realised someone was there once the door opened but had no time to look as a black bag was pulled over his head. His hands still bound he struggled but could do nothing.

Harry while keeping a firm hold of the boy wondered where the hell to drop him off, he had no idea just where the boy's sisters were at this moment so he had a choice of where to drop him off. Castle Black or Bear Island since he had been to both places before and given Jon had enough on his mind at the moment Harry apparated with Rickon to the keep of House Mormont.

 **-x-**

The sudden arrival surprised Rickon enough to stop struggling, especially when the hood was pulled away and he realised he was no longer in Winterfell. The opening of the door and the sight of armed Mormont guards and the youngest of the family Lyanna made him even more confused.

"Lady Mormont may I present Rickon Stark, I was hired by a party that wishes to remain unknown at this time to retrieve the boy and bring him here. I trust you will give him sanctuary till he can reconnect with his sisters?" Harry told the young lady taking care to disguise his voice so she would not recognise him later and keep his hood up.

Lyanna looked at him suspiciously and then at Rickon giving him a more intense look over as if sizing him up for something and smirked.

"Oh course, I'll get him into shape soon enough." She told him and Harry instantly felt a little sorry for Rickon seeing the girl's interest. Poor Rickon had no chance at all.

* * *

 _ **Castle Black, the Wall…**_

While Melisandre worked and the men in the yard under the leadership of the cowardly and treasonous prepared to break down the door into the solar where Jon Snow's body lay defended by his loyalists, a tremendous bang sounded at the southern gate. Thorne and all his men came to a stop, abandoning whatever they were doing and turning to look, a few drawing their bows. It banged a few more times before finally giving way.

The sight of a genuine giant standing there and calling out with a roar was terrifying enough for the Night's Watch, worse was the sight of both wildlings and knights barging through the now destroyed gates with ease. Their battle cries filled the air as they spilled into the yard, outnumbering the Night's Watch to a ridiculous degree. At the head Edd, Grenn, Tormund and Ygritte who all had their weapons drawn and furious looks on their faces.

The Night's Watch instantly cowered under such numbers while from his position on the scaffold Thorne yelled out to fight, one very brave or very stupid man tried to run at Tormund who with his own sword in hand easily dispatched the foolish man with a few deadly slashes of his blade. His glare burned into the minds of the Watchmen that had sided with Thorne and all of them quivered under it. Most of them lowered their weapons, realising they had no chance at all against the Wildlings or the knights. Thorne however caught up in the thrill of power and his irrational hatred of the Wildlings kept on yelling impotently.

"FIGHT YOU COWARDS!"

When no-one moved Thorne ran down the steps into the yard himself but never actually attacked seeming not to have the balls unless all the men did the same. One foolish man on the gates did fire a crossbow bolt into the shoulder of Wun Wun, the giant that had bashed the door in. All the men and the giant turned around to see where it had come from and the idiot Watchman had only a second to look scared before Wun Wun grabbed him by the leg and like he was a rag-doll, smashed his head against the wall before throwing the corpse across the yard to Thorne's feet.

Everyone looked to Wun Wun who gave all the Watchmen a growl and one by one they started dropping their weapons, knowing full well the game was up. Thorne and his little spy Olly looked around in disgust at the men who were surrendering, even most of his 'loyal supporters', even those that had thrust the knife into Jon's heart.

 **-x-**

Meanwhile as Davos and the rest of the men listened to what was going on outside and even peaked through the door now that it was safe, Melisandre smiled as she put the last touches on the ritual and finally she would see if her visions were right. Ghost walked up to the table with his tail wagging and panting as with a gasp Jon Snow returned to the realm of the living.

 **-x-**

Tormund, Edd and Ygritte all stepped forward with glares at the only two still holding their weapons. Thorne glared at them, trying to look intimidating but still shook with fear at the sight of them. He focused completely on Edd before saying.

"You fucking traitor!" Edd however glared back holding his sword pointed straight at Thorne's heard.

"The only traitors here are the ones that stabbed their knives into their lord commander's heart." Edd said with hatred of the petty bully that Thorne really was.

"For thousands of years the Night's Watch has held Castle Black against the Wildlings." Thorne said not able to accept defeat but Tormund stepped forward and said with a glare of his own at the man that had killed the saviour of his people and more specifically his family.

"Until you."

That was too much for Olly who screamed and ran forward brandishing his sword until suddenly an arrow struck him in the cock. He stopped immediately and fell to his knees, all eyes turned to Ygritte who glared at the little shit that had led her lover to his death.

"I'll be fucked, he actually had a cock after all."

"The Wall was not built to hold back Wildlings Thorne." A familiar but impossible voice said, all of those in the yard turned up with a gasp to see the near naked Jon Snow who still had the knife wounds in his chest standing there very much alive. Davos offered him a cloak that he gratefully wrapped around his shoulders before continuing. "The First Men could have done that with a stone wall less than a fourth the size or conquered them, the Wall was meant to keep the Others...the White Walkers at bay and the Watch was meant to hold them back from the land of the living. But since you can't understand that...Edd." He said suddenly looking very weak and had to be helped by Davos back into the warmer room.

Edd and the others were still in shock at seeing Jon alive again having never believed it was going to work before telling the men.

"Take them to the cells, where they belong." The knights moved forward and at sword point disarmed and then dragged the Watchmen including Thorne and the wounded Olly into the Ice Cells till they could decide what to do with them.

Ygritte however noticed none of this as she ran up the steps and after Jon who sat in front of the fire looking half dead which was she thought strangely an improvement over his previous condition. His direwolf came up to him and rubbed its large head against him, Jon smiled slightly and scratched behind his ears before turning to notice her and Tormund who had come up behind her. Jon met her gaze and she was almost against her will moving forward, kneeling next to the wolf with no fear at all. Her hand reached out, to see if he was really there and he caught it, wrapping it in his strong grip.

"I thought you were dead." She said not crying just yet but tears were forming in the corner of her eyes and he carefully brushed them away from her face and she went to slap him but instead kissed him, as surprising as he found this he was soon kissing her back.

As he did this a thought crossed his mind, he had died and as disturbing as it was it had happened. He swore to the Night's Watch to serve until he died and he had…

He was free of his vows.

A life with Ygritte was now open to him, to have sons of his own. All the things he had given up so freely and naively at the start of his journey here now were possible again...but more than that he realised as he rested his forehead against Ygritte's, he could do what he had wanted so desperately to do years ago when his family had been in danger...he could help them.

* * *

 _ **The Gre**_ _ **at Weirwood, the True North…**_

The biting cold wind and swirling snow was worse here than anywhere else in the world, not only was it extremely far north but the presence of the massive number of walking dead that surrounded the tree and that of their masters. They may be few in number but standing at nearly seven foot tall with skin as grey as clouds and eyes that shined a menacing blue, they were a terrifying sight to behold.

Their leader was no different, the Night King with his crown of icy thorns stabbed the ground shattering the ancient defences that had held back the wights for so long and kept the occupants inside them safe. Seeing the sight of the enemy of all life was enough to make Meera Reed shake with fear that had nothing to do with the cold, all her life she had dealt with her brother's strangeness and then Bran's but never has she seen something so unnatural as what was standing before her now.

"Get Bran!" Leaf yelled as they ran back into the cave, both of them knowing it would only be a matter of moments before the wights were sent in now the defences were breached. Meera did as she was told and went to Bran who was still in the middle of his vision with the Three Eyed Raven and she desperately shook him.

"Bran! Wake up! Bran!" She yelled but no amount of shaking or shouting stirred him and Hodor nearby started shaking with fear himself, repeating his name as was his way. Meera was growing ever more frantic as she kept shaking Bran, they needed to find a way out of here now or they would all end up serving in the Night King's army. Images of the wights fixed firmly in her mind as tried desperately to get Bran to come back but nothing worked.

Then much to her surprise and confusion Leaf returned with what she saw was a length of rope, it was so odd that she honestly wondered for a moment if she was hallucinating as Leaf gestured for her and Hodor to come over, speaking first to her then Hodor.

"Grab a firm hold of Bran, Hodor, you hold the wolf and both of you take a strong grip of the rope and do not let go for anything. This is likely to be uncomfortable but do not let go." Leaf said quickly before turning the Three Eyed Raven who was still in the midst of a vision. "I hope you reach the other side in peace human. Activate." Leaf said with a deal of anticipation.

Whatever Meera might of said to try and understand just what the Child of the Forest was doing was stopped in its tracks by a sudden and harsh jerking behind her naval. She honestly felt like she was floating in mid air with a riot of colours rushing past her and her mind was stunned by the strangeness of the experience but it only lasted a moment before the colours disappeared and she fell on her arse.

She blinked to get her eyes to focus on where the hell they all were, Leaf gave the area a sad smile while Hodor blinked and was so confused at what had just happened as Summer sniffed trying to understand the numerous new smells around him. However one thing that soon became apparent that wherever they where...it was hot! All of them except Leaf were wearing heavy furs to keep them warm in the harsh cold beyond the Wall only now they made them boil immediately. Shedding her furs quickly Meera striped to her small-clothes before seeing Bran was still wrapped up and quickly with a slight blush on her face started undressing him, Hodor at least had taken his cue from her and stripped down himself. Poor Summer had taken shelter under a tree she noticed with sympathy before looking around too see more of where Leaf had brought them.

It was full of trees she noticed but through the leaves she could see the sun and so combined with the great heat she reasoned that they must be a long way from the North now, she turned to Leaf only to get yet another surprise, as if she needed any-more of them today she thought with annoyance. The Child of the Forest was now looking around with an excited grin and to Meera's great surprise she saw other Children of the Forest emerging from all around them.

"Brothers! Sisters!" Leaf said with a relieved excitement, the other Children crowded around them before becoming sad suddenly. "The Great Weirwood has fallen, the Three Eyed Raven is no more."

The Children all started exchanging looks and sad or fearful whispers while Meera looked between them feeling very much like she was ignored and her nerves finally snapped and she called out with anger.

"Will someone please tell me where we are? What just happened? How we got here? Please!"

The Children all turned to look at her and stared at her for a moment with distrust or anger, making Meera a little afraid for her life for a moment until Leaf gave them a stern look and then turning back to answer her.

"This is our new home, given to us by someone who understood the world beyond the mundane and its mysteries. He created that rope to give us an escape route if the tree was ever to come under attack, were the Raven not so tied into it I would have saved him too but he would never have survived being separated from it." Leaf explained sadly. "Here on Grey Gallows we can begin rebuilding our people safe from man and from the Others...our mistake." Leaf said guilt stabbing at her for all the death and destruction their creations had caused.

"Grey Gallows, that's in the Stepstones." A voice said suddenly and Meera looked to see Bran had much to her relief woken up and did not seem the least bit confused given he had gone into the vision in a freezing cave and now found himself on a tropical island. Meera was so glad to see him up and about but the distant look in his eye was new and unsettled her slightly, only Summer seemed to evoke any emotion from him when the great wolf came up and rubbed his head against Bran's receiving a scratch behind the ears in return.

* * *

 _ **The land outside of Winterfell, the North…**_

Two armies faced each other on the plains outside the ancient castle, one was larger than the other by a fair bit but that did not intimidate.

Sansa waited with the rest of the archers while Arya stood with the light infantry, their army was already briefed on the plan and both sisters despite feeling nervous at fighting in their first real battle both felt confident that they had planned this as well as they could. They did not bother with any parley or attempt by Ramsay to negotiate, all he would do is try to freak them out and neither of them was going to give him the chance.

Across the field Ramsay felt a small stab of satisfaction at the feel of _Ice_ at his waist, the sword was stupidly long but the feel of having the Stark's ancestral sword and today was hopefully going to use it to kill some Starks actually gave him a brief stab of satisfaction. Brief he thought annoyed because Rickon Stark had disappeared from the cells and so he could not lead them into the same trap that he had wanted too. He was also annoyed that the Karstarks were not here yet but he had been assured they would be once they fought off the wildlings that had invaded their land.

Their cavalry lined up against the enemy and saw they were evenly matched much to his anger and wondered how to best take advantage of this when the Starks made the first move. Their archers launched a single enormous volley straight at his central lines. Only a few arrows hit but one of those that did struck was the Skargosi Chief, who died as the arrow with incredible luck found his heart. That caused a roar of anger to run through his men and their undisciplined rabble instantly began to charge straight at the Stark infantry lines. Ramsay frowned as he saw this shaking his head, while they might be warm bodies to throw into the slaughter and that amused and delighted him but they were hopelessly undisciplined. His father had certainly been thinking more of quantity than quality.

The Stark heavy and light infantry readied their shields to meet the chaotic charge, the collide was hard and brutal but the shield wall held barely, Arya leading the light infantry joined the fight with a spear in hand feeling calm as she lead the impaling of Skargosi it was strange she thought as she impaled one man through the neck. Her heart was thumping fast in her chest but it seemed like everything was muted and moving to fast to think. Her father had once told her that in battle things moved too quickly for someone to think, that you had to rely on your instinct to survive at least in part, it was weird she thought in a distracted way while she led the defence with Brienne acting as her shield, leading the heavy infantry.

Sansa in the rear with the archers took aim with her men and let the arrows fly at the Skargosi rear before she gave the signal to Ser Brune who was leading their cavalry a mix of Northerners, Riverland knights led by Ser Lucas Blackwood and sellswords, he nodded and led their horse straight at the enemy cavalry which likewise charged. The two forces met and the sound of men and horses filled the air as swords and spears clashed.

Sansa seeing this moved her aim as high as she could and set one arrow on fire before loosing it into the sky. It sailed clear through the air and over the hill, which soon echoed with the hooves as the Karstark cavalry came over the hill led by Torrhen.

Ramsay smiled as he saw them arrive, glad that something had gone to plan only to frown when instead of charging at the Stark cavalry's vulnerable flank they went at his, Ramsay seethed at the betrayal as his horse were smashed into pieces by the Karstark attack. He turned to Lord Umber and told him.

"Break the Stark infantry." Umber nodded and with his family's men their famed Berserkers charged straight at the Stark lines.

 **-x-**

Arya and Brienne were covered in sweat and blood as they held their ground against the savage but weakening Skargosi, the infantry sweated it out and Arya gritted her teeth as she managed to get another kill thinking that this was going well. Then Brienne taller than her paled and said urgently.

"The Umber infantry charges!" Arya could not really see though the mass of men in front of her but she could hear the heavy footfalls of charging men and grimaced knowing they were in trouble.

The impact when the Umbers finally did hit was colossal and the Stark infantry shuddered under the assault and were forced back by the heavy infantry.

 **-x-**

Ramsay started to smile again as he saw the Stark line begin to collapse under the Umber's harsh assault, he turned to Lord Glover who was commanding the archers and said.

"Rain hell down on them."

Lord Glover looked shocked at the order and protested. "But my lord, Lord Umber and his men."

Ramsay however gave him that sinister grin again and repeated his order. "Rain down hell."

Lord Glover looked very uncomfortable but did as he was bid. "Archers, notch and loose."

Myranda who was with the archers was the only one that grinned at the order, eagerly taking her bow and arrow and aiming them at the clashing infantry before licking her lips as she and the others let the arrows loose.

 **-x-**

"INCOMING!" One of the men shouted, Arya and Brienne did not know if it was one of theirs or an Umber that shouted but they then saw the vast column of arrows coming straight at them, few had a shield to cover themselves with and Arya whose combat style depended on speed and flexibility was not one of them. She crouched down and made herself as small as possible, hoping to avoid being hit only to feel something large crouching over her. She looked and saw to her horror that Brienne was using her body to shield her from harm, she gasped as she saw the bigger woman flinch from each arrow hit as the air filled with screams from the men that had been hit and the moment she was able Arya pulled free and took a look at her sworn shield's back. She saw two arrows had planted themselves in it but Brienne although clearly in pain tried to push Arya behind her to make sure she was safe. Arya knew those wounds would need cleaning and tending too and was glad that Lady Caelys back on Bloodstone had taught her how.

Turning back to the battle thought the good thing both women noticed was the unexpected arrow attack had stunned and hit the Umbers just as much as it had them and stopped the fighting at least from the moment.

However when they looked towards the Bolton archers, they saw them notching another volley.

 **-x-**

Ramsay was smiling again, now feeling much more in control of the situation and enjoying the death in front of him, the screams of the men and was about to order them to loose their next volley when he was disturbed by the sound of a horn blowing. He turned around on his horse to try and find the source of the sound as it seemed to be coming from behind him and was greeted by the sight of a single man on horseback who was standing on the hill.

 **-x-**

Jon sat on his horse looking at the battle below, making sure he had a good idea of what as happening and was filled with disgust for the Bolton bastard that now called himself Lord of the North, he had been a bastard and known other bastards and never had he seen one that was as true to the Seven's assumptions or worst than Ramsay Snow, to even share that bastard name with him was nauseating to Jon that he actually decided that gods' willing he would soon find a new one. One that would keep his sister in the south safe.

When he saw Ramsay ordering the archers to attack, hitting his own men without a care that made him snarl, to have such a callous disregard for human life was more than Jon could take and so he blew his horn.

Behind him on the other side of the hill his people heard the horn and began charging up the hill and then joining up with him down the other side. The knights on horseback and the wildlings and Giants on foot, their mammoths being too slow to help in this fight. It looked like a dark wave coming down the hill straight at the Bolton's rear guard.

Jon on the back of his horse rode straight at the archers which were threatening his sisters' lives, _Dark Sister_ in hand as the confusion of his unexpected arrival stunned the Bolton forces, not reacting until it was too late.

 **-x-**

Myranda did not think she was capable of feeling fear or doubt so she unlike the rest of the idiot men around her notched an arrow and fired it at one of the approaching giants and wildlings. Her aim was so bad that it only hit one of the giants ineffectively in the arm, but it did irritate him enough to look at the source of the arrow and stood towards her at frightening speed.

Myranda then for the first time in her life felt fear as the creature towered above her, she turned to run only for the creature to pick her up with its enormous hand and turn her to face him. She looked straight into its ugly and struggled but his hand had her arms pinned to her sides, it snarled and put its other hand on her head and with its fingers started squeezing. Myranda screamed as the pressure on her head grew, she had never known such pain until her skull cracked open like an egg and her blood splattered onto the giant's fingers before it tossed the corpse with a ruined head aside and started swinging his arms, sending the panicking archers flying.

 **-x-**

The Smalljon was still smarting from the arrow that had lodged itself in his shoulder, the pain was hard as it radiated out and he struggled to pull it free. He honestly was shocked at Ramsay's actions...they were supposed to be allies and yet that bastard had fired on him anyway. He did not have long to think about this though as the mass of rough looking wildlings he had had been so frightened by to ally with the Boltons impacted on his men's unprotected rear flank.

He heard his men screaming as the savage wildlings attacked them, slashing with rough looking weapons or in some cases tearing out throats with their nails or teeth. The Smalljon was struck silent as his worst fear seemed to be coming to pass, the wildlings were slaughtering his people...but the words of his father then at this odd moment echoed in his head.

" _If you side with monsters, then soon you will be surrounded by monsters. That is the reason why we side with the Starks, because they are not monsters."_

Smalljon felt his father's words true weight immediately as he realised that he had chosen to side with a monster and now was surrounded by them. Gods know what might happen to his son now, but this sudden shock left him completely unprepared when Tormund came up to him with a dagger in hand and stabbed straight into his neck.

 **-x-**

Elsewhere Arya managed to break free of the mass of men she had become stuck in and saw to her fury the treacherous Lord Ryswell and his three sons Roger, Rickard and Roose with their horse symbol on their armour trying to escape the chaos and instantly felt anger. This battle would have been far less bloody if not for them she thought and without waiting for anyone to join her she charged after the four men.

She pulled one of the throwing knives at her waist and threw it at the leg of Lord Ryswell, hitting him in the back of the knee causing the man to scream in surprise and pain before falling to the ground. His sons turned around but by then Arya had with her impressive speed managed to close the gap between them and with a graceful leap launched herself onto the shoulders of Roose Ryswell and with her dagger in hand stabbed him straight in the throat before letting go as he slid to the floor, shocking both his brothers who instantly turned towards her with fury and held their long swords aloft ready to kill her in an instant.

However she drew her Valyrian sword _Wolf's Blood_ unafraid, they might be bigger than her she thought with a smirk but not better.

Rickard charged and swung his sword like you would a hammer no doubt hoping to cleave her in two but Arya with the ease of many hours of practice with Syrio and Jaqen avoided the blow with a fluid grace and slashed at the man's legs causing them to collapse before she quickly stabbed _Wolf's Blood_ into his back, between the ribs and into the heart, as she had been shown by Jaqen.

Roger Ryswell meanwhile was snarling at the death of his two brothers and went to kill her while her sword was still in his brother's chest only for a grey blur to strike him as the girl's wolf closed its large jaws around his neck and shook him.

Arya smiled as Nymeria finished off Roger before pulling her sword free and without wasting time with pointless words did the same to Lord Ryswell as she had done to his youngest son, impaling him through the back and giving the blade an extra twist.

 **-x-**

Arya however was not the only one to notice someone fleeing the battlefield, Sansa with the archers saw Lord Glover trying to flee the field on his horse and she turned to Greywind at her side who understood immediately what she wanted from their bond and instantly started running towards the retreating lord.

Lord Glover was desperate to escape back to Deepwood Motte, once there he hoped that he could renew his vows of fealty to House Stark and he would be safe but when he felt something hit his horse, throwing him off he knew he was going to have to think of something else. The crack that came from his arm as it broke and the pain that accompanied it made him wince but when he finished rolling he saw the snarling direwolf that he remembered used to follow Robb Stark around glaring at him and then behind the wolf was the sister of Robb Stark Sansa with a bow and arrow pointing straight between his eyes. She glared at him before letting the arrow fly.

 **-x-**

Ramsay was unable to feel fear, never had but he did have a sense of self-preservation and it was telling him to retreat immediately behind the walls of Winterfell. So he turned to run straight for sanctuary but then saw that the wildlings brought by House Stark's bastard had blocked the best route there and were closing in, turning he saw that the knights on horseback and Northern cavalry of the Stark's had eliminated his own and with the rest of their army had completely encircled him, he looked around for any potential exit only for an arrow to fly out of nowhere and strike his horse. The stupid animal reared up at the sudden pain and he was thrown from the beast, hitting the ground hard as his horse ran off.

As he looked he saw a red haired wildling girl smirking at him as she held a bow and arrow at him and he snarled, knowing she had fired the bloody shot but he saw the Stark girls with their weapons pointed at him, Torrhen Karstark much to his surprise, Dacey Mormont, Rodrik and Asher Forrester and an army of men behind them. But as he got to his feet and he glared at all of them, one dared to come closer Jon Snow...his counterpart from House Stark.

Ramsay was so filled with hate at the mere sight of him, he had been raised at a castle as a member of the house while Ramsay had been hidden and had to kill his half brother to receive any real notice. That made him draw the great sword at his side and all of the Northerners especially the Starks froze at the sight of it. That brought Ramsay a measure of comfort as he held the heavy sword.

"Recognise this? It belonged to your brother, I think it only fitting that it send you to meet him." Ramsay said feeling better with the weight of _Ice_ in his hands although nowhere near being a master of the sword. Jon Snow however stepped closer with his smaller longsword in hand and took a ready position.

"I will enjoy taking it from you." Jon said with anger breaking in to his voice.

Ramsay felt his anger return at the comment and swung the heavy sword straight at Jon who easily sidestepped around it and then blocked the second swing before using what leverage he had to force _Ice_ away before punching Ramsay so hard in the face his nose was bent completely out of shape. While he went back a step Jon with his free hand grabbed Ramsay's wrist and twisted it as hard as he could, hearing a satisfying crack as it broke and Ramsay dropped _Ice_. Jon finished with a kick to the stomach knocking the dazed and pained Ramsay on his back.

Jon looked down at Ramsay and spat on him before picking up _Ice_ and stared at the sword that had belonged to the Stark family for generations and thankfully was in their hands again, he turned to Sansa and Arya who both rushed forward and embraced him. He wrapped his arms around them both and held them close, here was his family safe and sound and the stress of knowing what was on the other side of the Wall eased for a moment.

Everyone stayed quiet for a moment as the three of them embraced but Jon eventually broke saw his great uncle Maester Aemon dressed heavily in furs who had followed him and their army raised his arms like a bird in flight while nodding his head towards Ramsay although how Aemon knew the right direct mystified him. Jon knew what the man meant but was surprised and put it before Sansa and Arya.

"Ladies Stark, do you think he deserves the Blood Eagle?"

That send a ripple of whispers through the crowd, the Blood Eagle was the worst punishment that House Stark ever given out, the most painful way to die in their arsenal and even though it was not practised any more he and Robb had been taught how to do it by Eddard Stark who had learnt it from his father. It hadn't been used in centuries, since the last rebellion by the Skargosi centuries ago and used on a number of Boltons before that ironically Jon thought but it had been the public execution of those rebellious Bolton that had ended their uprisings at least until recently. Sansa and Arya as familiar with the history of their house as he was were shocked at the idea but given Roose was already dead and all the damage Ramsay had caused it was only fitting so they both nodded. Jon turned feeling anxious about what he was about to do but resolved to do his duty and end this threat forever, stabbing _Ice_ into the ground.

"Ramsay Snow." Jon said calling him by the bastard name as an extra stab of the proverbial dagger. "The Ladies Stark have condemned you to the Blood Eagle and House Bolton to extinction, may the Old Gods have mercy on your soul."

He meant none of the last part but it was something people expected him to say, with that done Arya handed him her Valyrian steel dagger and Jon stalked over to Ramsay who was trying to crawl away. Jon easily stopped him and stabbed his borrowed dagger into Ramsay's back, he screamed as Jon carefully and methodically cut each rib and splayed them open like wings across Ramsay's back. The gathered crowd looked uncomfortable at the sight of it and a few of the Riverlanders actually threw up but the Northerners all looked on with grim satisfaction...at last the Red Wedding was avenged...the last Bolton was facing judgement.

Ramsay's lungs were still contracting as he tried to breathe when Jon pulled them out and spread across his back. Jon turned to Sansa and Arya who gave him another grim nod, so he took _Ice_ out of the ground and an act of mercy that Ramsay did not deserve after waiting a few moments Jon swung the great sword straight through Ramsay's neck, ending him and House Bolton once and for all.

The message was sent though, gone were the days of House Stark which forgave their enemies now it was the return of the House Stark of old that would do whatever ever it had to do to survive the coming winter.

* * *

 _ **Bloodstone, the Stepstones…**_

Rhaenys sighed as she read all the messages that came with running a kingdom, she could have left them to Zara but she was not one to be lazy so she worked while Kanoro taught her eldest children and Alwyn educated her youngest.

She was nervous as she considered what she and Harry were planning but the final pieces were falling into place, all they needed she thought putting her chin on her hands in thought was to get Loras Tyrell out of Lannister/Faith Militant hands and they would be good to go. Her anxiety over becoming queen had not really gone away and she was dreading the day when they announced it to the world.

A knock at the door broke her from her work so she looked up to see Kanoro enter.

"A group of people just arrived, they say they were sent by the Children of the Forest." Kanoro looked confused at the name given he had no idea what the 'Children of the Forest' were. Rhaenys however had been told by Harry of the small colony on Grey Gallows and to leave it alone. She sighed again wondering why they would be sending anyone to them before telling Kanoro.

"Send them in."

Kanoro and ushered a group of four into the room, one was a large man with a somewhat distant look in his eye and grey hair. The middle two were younger one a fit looking girl and a boy although the man was carrying the boy and both had dark brown hair and pale skin like but the strangest of the group was a direwolf that looked uncomfortably hot in the heat of the islands. The fact a direwolf was there was proof enough of who the boy was immediately. She reached for her magic mirror and said.

"Harry, we have some new guests. Bran Stark has just arrived."

 **-x-**

 _ **Winterfell, the North…**_

The castle was once again flying the wolf banner of House Stark and for Sansa, Arya, Jon and Rickon it felt more reassuring and safe than anywhere they had been in the last few years. There was still a lot to fear with the Walkers and whatever enemies they had in the south but still it felt that way to them. Rickon had even discovered a new direwolf pup hanging around the forests nearby and immediately taken it for his own naming it Shaggydog after the wolf he lost at the hands of the Umbers.

"So we give Deepwood Motte to Lyanna Mormont and Rickon with some of the Wolfswood going to the Forresters. Ser Lothor Brune can be given Goldgrass as he did stay loyal to use rather than go elsewhere." Arya said as she and Sansa looked at a map of the North to both punish their enemies and reward their allies. Sansa nodded agreeing with that before saying.

"House Glenmore can rule over the Rills." She said which Arya nodded in agreement as those lands were right next to their existing domain but then both sisters saw the symbol for Barrowton and the pair were wondering who they could give it too since Lady Dustin was now rotting in their dudgeons and would be for the conceivable future.

"Ser Lucas Blackwood fought for us, he is a second son and his family are some of the most loyal allies House Stark had in the war also they worship the Old Gods." Arya said after a few moments thought. "House Blackwood used to be of the North."

"Especially if he takes a Northern bride, maybe Wylla Manderly." Sansa added with a nod thinking it might be best to arrange for the wilful Wylla Manderly to marry Lucas as her family deserved a great deal of reward for their service...maybe more than she could give.

"What about the Karstarks? Torrhen did us a great favour with his ambush and bringing his family back to our side." Arya said frowning, knowing they had to acknowledge that somehow. Sansa however had an answer.

"I plan to take him as my husband." Sansa said with a small smile, getting a kick out of the shocked look on her sister's face. "Our first child will be a Stark and the next a Karstark."

"Marry him? You?" Arya questioned not sure if her sister was joking or not, Sansa smiled wider before saying with a shrug.

"He's comely enough and loyal, I could certainly do far worse." She said thinking it would be best for the North to have the stability such a union could bring. Arya was still not sure about her sister getting married but nodded in agreement.

"What of the Wildlings?" A voice asked loudly from the door and the sisters turned to see the wildling archer that Jon had taken as a lover enter with an apologetic Jon behind them. Both sisters smiled at their half brother who was helping the blind maester into the room he had brought with him and Ser Davos Seaworth who was watching Shireen Baratheon like a hawk.

"We were just getting to that." Arya said not sure she liked the older girl, unaware her own anxiety was not just because she was a wildling whose people had been terrorising the North for centuries but more so because she was the woman in their brother's life and Arya wondered what she really was up too attaching herself to Jon like this.

"There are areas of the North where no one lives, you can easily set up villages or farms if you are going to stay on this side of the Wall, the lands of the Dreadfort in particular are possible." Sansa said feeling the same animosity towards the unknown girl who had intruded on their reunion with Jon. They had been astonished when he had told them of the betrayal he suffered and horrified to learn that he had actually died but that only made them more glad that he was okay.

"But we don't have a lord to command the Dreadfort now." Arya said with a glint of mischief coming into her eyes sharing a quick look with her sister who started smirking too. "So we were thinking given that you came to our aid in battle Jon that you should rule the Dreadfort."

Jon instantly stopped smiling and became very serious.

"I'm not fit to be lord, I don't want a castle or the responsibilities that come with it. I will serve House Stark in any way I can but I am not fit to be a lord."

The room was silent and Ygritte as she was known looked at him with confusion before saying.

"But who else is going to defend us? You know what's coming and these kneelers are not going to respect us. They and we trust you...you got us south of the Wall and are the only man to kill one of the Walkers. We need you...I need you." Ygritte said getting a little emotional towards the end especially as she had yet to tell Jon that she had not bled nearly two moons. She really hoped that did not mean she was with child because although she had reconciled with Snow she had yet to fully forgive him and she was not ready to be a mother.

Jon looked very unsure of himself until the old maester Aemon spoke with a smile.

"Those who don't want power are often the ones that deserve it most, they see it for the responsibilities that come with it and take the matter seriously instead of seeing it only for the advantages it brings."

"I agree, my uncle could have won the War of the Five Kings easily if he had actually been more responsible." Shireen said piping in with wisdom beyond her years.

"And you would be there whenever your sisters needed your help as their strongest vassal, good men are hard to find and I doubt they are willing to let you go so easily. Please forgive my assumption my ladies." Davos added his own gold dragon, he looked so embarrassed at being too familiar it was endearing and both Sansa & Arya smiled at the Onion Knight.

"Worry no more about it Ser Seaworth, we are glad that our brother has such a levelheaded man to counsel him." Arya said with a smirk before saying to Jon. "House Snowstark, our latest cadet branch, taking the bastard name and making it into something noble, maybe a white wolf on a grey banner...you know for Ghost." The direwolf gave a happy short bark with his tail wagging slightly at that while Nymeria and Greywind snorted like with what sounded like derision.

Jon instantly felt very much like this was not a request or an offer but an order, they would he realised with dismay not let it rest until he agreed, even his own direwolf was against him and since he would never abandon his family after they had all been torn apart he would do his duty and protect them, especially when the Walkers came.

"I accept Ladies Stark, I swear to uphold House Stark as my liege lords." He said with a slight bow which made Arya and Sansa smile at how proper their brother was, wishing he would remember that they did not need to be so formal, they were family after all. Maester Aemon then chose that moment to speak.

"Well then I congratulate you all on your victory, I thought the Blood eagle was the best way to make it clear to the North that you were both here to rule and would deal with treason most harshly. I hope I did not overstep my mark." Aemon said with a smile, he had been offered the warmth of this castle for his final years and while it would take some time before he was as comfortable making his way around Winterfell as he had been at Castle Black it was nice to be in a place so full of life and history. He could almost feel the ancient energy that ran through the castle and its grounds and it was invigorating he thought taking a deep breath which tasted sweeter than anything at his last castle.

"My lords and ladies." One of their guards said as he came to the door, in awe slightly of all the nobles in front of him. "A party from the south has just come to the gates and one of them claims to be Brandon Stark, he does have a direwolf with him." The guard said nervous of the three already in the room without a fourth being added.

The mention of another direwolf was enough to make Arya, Sansa and Jon run to the yard had Rickon been there he no doubt would have been running too if he not been in the godswood playing with his new direwolf to forge a bond. Once there they saw a sight they had worried they might never see again in the arms of Hodor.

"Bran." Arya cried out as she ran over and after Hodor put Bran on a wheeled chair Maester Wolkan had conjured up from somewhere Jon, Sansa and Arya all gave Bran a close hug that he returned but without all the energy they gave theirs.

"It is good to be home." Bran said with a strange look in his eyes as he cast them around the yard before settling back on his siblings and cousin although he had only just learnt Jon was such. "Hodor you remember but this is my companion Meera Reed, I could never have survived without her aid."

The girl at his side blushed at the praise and all three of the other Starks gave her grateful smiles before Sansa spoke.

"Then you have our deepest thanks Lady Reed, you have the hospitality of Winterfell whenever you want it and if there is a boon you desire you need only say it." Sansa and Arya both smiled widely at the girl who was a bit overwhelmed by the attention she was getting. While they were talking however Ghost, Nymeria and Greywind were busy reacquainting themselves with their brother Summer, rubbing against each other with tails wagging and a gleam in their eyes.

"You are too kind my lady, I was merely doing my duty." Meera said before turning to the still cloaked man that none of them had really noticed. "This man got us here in record time so it is he that you should thank." Meera told them desperate to get the attention off of her.

"They showed up on my doorstep not long after you'd left so I put them on the next ship." A familiar voice said making Sansa, Arya and Jon all look at him in surprise before he dropped his cloak revealing himself to them all.

"Lord Tyrell, it is good to see you again." Arya said with a genuine smile which Harry returned.

"I can say much the same, I must congratulate you on taking back your castle but I cannot stay long. If you are unaware then my brother Loras has been kidnapped by the Faith Militant and Cersei Lannister." Harry said his smile dimming considerably and all of them looked shocked. "I am needed in Highgarden so I must leave today however I have these for you Jon Snow." Harry said handing him a pouch of documents. "These are the plans for a pair of crossbows my maester dreamt up. One allows faster loading of fire arrows to deal with wights, the second is heavier to fire a single bolt tipped with dragonglass to kill the walkers themselves. Since it is an easy weapon to use when the time comes your men should have a better chance." Harry said and Jon gratefully took them but Harry then noticed the young girl hiding behind the man he had seen with Stannis on the cliff when he had talked with Renly. The greyscale scars told him that it was Shireen Baratheon, Stannis' daughter and only child but he had not expected to find her here.

Seeing the frightened look in her eyes and the way the man with several missing fingers stood protectively in front of her made Harry frown, he had seen people even children being scared of him in the past but the girl looked so endearing hiding behind the knight in front her that Harry instantly was speared with guilt at killing her father, a picture of innocence and childhood stolen and damaged. He had taken her security...her life such as it was away from her.

He swallowed and turned to face her, feeling the need to do this.

"Lady Baratheon, I know why you are scared of me. I killed your father but it was not done maliciously nor did I relish it, we were at war and I swear to you that I have no malice towards yourself. You have nothing to fear from me, I have no wish to harm you and unless you are going to press a claim for the Iron Throne I see no reason why there should be conflict." Harry told her gravely, the knight glared at him no doubt for trying to explain his actions which had left the girl alone but Shireen stepped out from behind her knight despite his attempts to hold her back.

"I loved him, regardless of all he did...I loved him and my mother and they are both dead. What makes you think you can just say 'sorry' and it is all fixed?" Shireen asked boldly with a pained glare.

Harry frowned and his eyes narrowed, he might be understand of her grief but he was not going to roll over and let her rage at him so he instead pulled a jar of ointment Caelys had created with Alwyn from their collection of Chroyane lore.

"I understand your pain Lady Baratheon, I was merely telling why I did. I was not making excuses, this however should I hope be useful to you. My healer was trained in Essos and she has supplied this...a cure for your greyscale scars, rub it into the damaged areas until they are all covered once a day until it runs out and the scars will heal."

The shock of that was astonishing but as Davos Seaworth took the jar none of them noticed two people were missing from this scene.

 **-x-**

Theon Greyjoy, thinking it strange to actually be able to use his own name again after being Reek for so long knew he had best flee before the Starks realised he was there. Once they had considered him family and treated him with kindness and respect but he had abused that trust and knew he was either heading for the Wall or most likely death after what he had done. Seizing Winterfell, killing Ser Rodrik Cassel and all the rest he thought with regret.

So he took the easy way out, sneaking away without confrontation and hopefully make his way to White Harbour. He had heard a rumour that Yara had been seen in Meereen with the Dragon Queen so Theon thought with determination, he was going to find her his last family and try to make amends.

 **-x-**

Elsewhere another person who knew she would be unwelcome was sneaking away.

Melisandre however was smiling with triumph, her visions boded well for the future now the North was back in Stark hands with Jon Snow ready to lead the fight against the ancient enemy when the time came.

The presence of Harry Tyrell was an irritation she could do without but things were shaping up nicely for her anyway. She would now go into hiding until the time was right she thought with a smirk, a dark cloak over her red dress Brienne of Tarth would try to kill her if she stayed so it was best to avoid her for now.

* * *

 _ **Duskendale, the Crownlands…**_

Loras Tyrell sat filthy and ignored in a dark and damp cell waiting for someone to remember he existed and give him some food and water. He had gone through the gauntlet of emotions as he contemplated his failure and the trap he had fallen into and felt more foolish than he had in his entire life. He had thought he would have been in the black cells or under the Great Sept but the High Sparrow or so he called himself had gotten Lord Rykker to hide him here so his family could not attempt a rescue.

But Loras had been doing a lot of thinking and decided the best way to deal with it was to demand a Trial by Combat on the day he was brought to the Great Sept. Failing that he might try to demand a Trial of the Seven, surely his grandmother and brother could summon up a few knights to fight for him.

 **-x-**

 _ **Kings Landing, the Crownlands…**_

The reaction to the restoration of House Stark as rulers of the North was a source of gossip amongst the nobles who attended court but of little real interest since they cared little for the frozen lands inhabited by as they saw it barbarians. Cersei Lannister meanwhile still getting used to her much shorter hair stood in the corner with Qyburn pondering for a moment if she had to worry but quickly dismissed it...what threat could those savages pose to her plans? Absolutely none, if they tried she would wipe them out as her father had done Cersei thought with the confidence of ignorance, ignoring all the work that had gone into the Red Wedding and the Starks and Tullys were unlike to be tricked like that a second time.

She had to for the moment work on her own plans against the High Sparrow and his peasant fools, she had gotten Qyburn to check out the old rumour and confirmed it was true. She only intended to use it though it if her first plan was compromised, to have one of Qyburn's mutilated men fight a trial by combat for her. It was always good she thought with slight smirk to have a back up plan ready for the day of her supposed trial.

From the gallery were she was standing she had a good view of the court and it bored her immensely, these prattling fools beneath her and honestly they should remember just who their betters were. Half of them actually were openly rude to her and would pay dearly for it she thought viciously when she regained control. Jaime however she could forgive as he had been much more respectful and offered to fight for her in the trial by combat for the sake of their children. It did bring an honest smile to her face and wished only that he was here with her now to try and stop the High Sparrow's influence on Tommen but the annoying peasant had convinced their son to send Jaime to Dragonstone to run it on the crown's behalf.

However she was drawn from plotting her enemies' demise and thoughts of her other half by her son who was making an announcement, the sight of the High Sparrow in his tatty and plain robes honestly made her sick as he stood next to her son on the throne but what Tommen was saying grabbed her attention.

"The trial of Loras Tyrell and Cersei Lannister will be held in the Great Sept of Baelor in one half moon." Tommen said his eyes looking to her with nervousness rather than trust which instantly made her rage under the calm facade she put on her face. "Further more...after much prayer and reflection the crown has decided...that from this day forward trial by combat shall be forbidden throughout the Seven Kingdoms."

A shocked mummer went through the room at the declaration and Cersei's eyes instantly went icy as she took in the betrayal...she loved her son but right now all she wanted to do was slap him.

"The tradition is a brutish one, a scheme devised by corrupt rulers to avoid true judgement from the gods. Loras Tyrell and Cersei Lannister will stand trial before seven septons as it was during the earliest days of the Faith, Seven blessings to you all." Tommen said and then walked out without even looking at her.

Cersei honestly was feeling more inclined to violence than she had at nearly any other time in her life, how could her son be so stupid as to not see this for what it really was? An attempt by the High Sparrow to ensure his complete complete control over all legal proceedings, other than the Faith a trial by combat was the only other type of trial you could get in Westeros but now the Faith would have the only say over who was guilty and who was innocent all to suit their own agenda and go after anyone they wanted and convict them easily. How could Tommen be so weak? Cersei raged inwardly, she was really going to half to get him straightened out when she got rid of the Faith Militant.

Time for Plan B.

* * *

 _ **Highgarden, the Reach…**_

Harry and Rhaenys looked down at the large map of Westeros they had placed on the floor, decorated with little statues to denote just who controlled each region. Finally with the Starks restored and the Royces in control of the Vale everything was now in place, all they needed was to get Loras away from the Faith Militant and they were finally ready to make their move, all the work and all the plotting and empire building that they had done so diligently had led up to this moment.

They stood next to each other as they looked down at the image of Kings Landing on the map, Harry putting an arm around his wife's waist as she lent against him both wondering if they could deal with what came next. They had called the lords of the Reach, Dorne and the Stormlands to come to Highgarden where the truth would be announced and their intentions made clear. The Velaryons would be there too and hopefully all would support them since it would be an opportunity to enrich themselves and improve their standing but some they knew could be blinded by fear.

Those would need to be watched and as they embraced they were very aware that they were about to launch a coup that would reverberate through history.

* * *

 _Well I hope the chapter was worth the wait, please leave a review and let me know what you think._

 _ **Next Chapter**_ _– Jon goes on a mission, the trial in the Great Sept and Daenerys makes her decision._


	31. Chapter 31 Dawn of War

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _I so happy that so many of you have stuck with me so far, it is now the equivalent to Season 6 going into Season 7. I hope to keep up with my two chapters a month but at the moment I can't be sure so bare with me. I will try to update at least once a month though._

 _I have now started to draw up the plans for my next story, A Dance of Dragons story with Harry and his parents present. I don't want to spoil too much at this early stage especially as some things still need to be worked out but he will be fighting with the Blacks._

 _Anyway on with the show..._

 **Chapter 31 – Dawn of War**

 _ **Horn Hill, the Reach…**_

The now visibly pregnant Margaery sat in the comfortable hall of her new home and sadly worked on the blanket she was going to wrap her child in when it was born, she grimaced as she yet again ruined a stitch. She sighed her skill was lacking today as last night one of the servants had let slip that Loras was being held prisoner in Kings Landing by the Faith Militant on account of his 'choice of bed partners'. She sighed again wondering what the hell Harry and grandmother were going to do.

She finally managed to finish the green blanket by stitching the line of golden roses around the Tarly huntsman in red, wondering tearfully if her child would have two uncles or just one.

 **-x-**

 _ **Highgarden, the Reach…**_

Small columns of horses arrived slowly at the great castle of the Reach, the lords from at least three different kingdoms the Reach, Dorne, the Stormlands all made their way here at the invitation of the acting lord Harry Tyrell for reasons that they could somewhat guess at but no-one fully knew. Five banners amongst the columns did not even belong to houses from those three regions; the seahorse of House Velaryon, the black and white boar of House Crakehall, the three ships of House Farman, the four orange and black sunbursts of House Kenning of Kayce and the six seashells of House Westerling. Some of them, especially those from the Westerlands owed something to Harry Tyrell and so when he had invited them, they had come not sure of what to expect.

 **-x-**

From a balcony Harry and Rhaenys watched their arrivals, neither smiling as they knew things could be very tough when they told the truth. When they turned around and saw all their children playing or sleeping with the rest of Harry's children by Zara, Alys and Myria. The older ones already wearing the dragon rings Harry had crafted for them like his, acting like wands and they would use portkeys to visit him nearly everyday to learn to harness their powers. Myria, Zara and Alys all gave them an encouraging smile knowing they would need it today.

* * *

 _ **The Dreadfort, the North…**_

Jon was angry at the disturbing things he found when he took possession of his new castle, the skins of dead Starks that had been turned into cloaks had been one thing and he certainly hadn't liked the real human bones used in the main hall, it honestly made him wonder if his ancestors hadn't been insane to allow the Boltons to continue as lords with all of this he shook his head and got on with the work of running his new lands.

The settling of the wildlings had been a contentious issue but winter's arrival had stalled that for now as the North rushed to get ready, preparations had been slowed by Ramsay's interference as he had little interest in preparing for the white hell that would descend on them once it was in full swing and they were now desperately trying to catch up. Jon himself was glad of the large stores that the Boltons had kept as it meant that he could feed his people especially as game became scarce and crops impossible to grow. He would have to investigate crops that could grow in the North's harsh climate and teaching the wildlings to grow them once things were more stable Jon thought to himself.

As he got up to ease the knots in his muscles from sitting still in his new solar and left the room to see how the repairs and renovations to the hall were going, coming across Ser Davos Seawoth his new steward he asked him as the workmen did their job.

"How goes the work Ser Davos?"

The grizzled old sailor gave a slight bow at Jon's arrival which made Jon uncomfortable as he still did not feel like a real lord and was not used to such treatment.

"The beams and tables are being replaced and we have made several openings to provide better light and ventilation, not to mention removing those disgusting torch holders." Davos said with a small shudder at the thought of the real human bones that had once been used before telling him something that would cause a lot of worry. "More reports of a 'monster' on Skagos have come in, I thought you should know."

Jon instantly went still, the Walkers could not have bypassed the Wall somehow and made it to the island could they? It was a disaster if it was true Jon thought with fear, they weren't ready for a war yet...they were still recovering from the last one and had yet to fully prepare for winter. He had to know if it was the Walkers or some other threat that they would need to face. So he made his decision and told Davos.

"I will go to Skagos and discover if these rumours are true, if it endangers the North then I must find the truth." Jon said causing Davos to look surprised and worried.

"My lord, the island is still dangerous despite their bending the knee to House Stark." Davos said with the concern his new lord was going to get himself killed.

"I will take some of our men with me." Jon said to assure him but they were prevented from speaking of it further as an excited Shireen Baratheon, his new ward came running excitedly up the corridor followed by a bemused Ygritte.

"Lord Snowstark! Lady Ygritte has just been teaching me to use the bow! She also promised to tell me stories from beyond the Wall." The girl said with all the excitement of child having the time of her life. The sight of her without her greyscale scars was still strange to him though, another reason for her excitement as the paste given to her by Harry had worked perfectly. Without her scars and filled with joy the girl now beamed with a cute smile and was sure to be a beauty when she grew up Jon thought with amazement at the transformation.

"Good, then I am sure you will be happy to continue while I travel to Skagos and see if these rumours of a monster are true." Jon said with a smile to the girl who gave him an eager nod.

Ygritte meanwhile was surprised and worried that Jon had decided to go to an island populated by people that were more savage then most of the Free Folk, she had not yet worked up the nerve to tell him that she might be with child and still was finding it strange that most of the kneelers here seemed to be treating her like some kind of lady, even calling her that. Did they think she and Jon were actually married or something Ygritte thought, not understanding why this was even important.

* * *

 _ **Kings Landing, the Crownlands…**_

The day of the trial dawned with anticipation that something interesting was about to happen, the chance to see a lord paramount and a former queen brought low would be enough for many of them to cluster around the Great Sept when the trial began in a few hours time.

Loras Tyrell, dressed in the outfit of a beggar and firmly bound and gagged was brought into the city in the early hours of the morning before the sun had even started rising. He struggled occasionally trying to get free and run but the Sparrows held him too firmly for that.

Elsewhere a manipulative and vicious woman was plotting, her anger over the situation that she herself had created so great that her revenge she swore to herself would destroy all her enemies n one swoop and be spoken about for centuries to come she thought as she sipped her wine.

* * *

 _ **Winterfell, the North…**_

The lack of Jon's presence was somewhat sad at the North's greatest castle after their family had finally been reunited, however it was tempered with the knowledge that he was there at his new castle and would visit when he could.

Sansa sitting in her solar which had once been her father's suddenly felt very strange, she had been in this room of course, not as often as her siblings but she was struck suddenly with an overwhelming wave of nostalgia and resolve. She looked around and could swear for a moment that there was someone else in the room but when she looked around there was nothing. It spooked her for a second but as she turned to look around she was alone. She smiled though, feeling the security of the castle wrapping around her like a warm blanket, wondering if her father and mother could see her and the rest of her siblings now. She only hoped they would be proud.

She was interrupted by a knock on the door, turning to look she saw Arya enter along with Rickon and Bran who Arya pushed in his wheeled chair. She smiled at her siblings as they all filed in and grouped around the desk.

"I take it this is some kind of family meeting?" Sansa asked and Rickon sheepishly looked up and said in a timid voice.

"Lyanna Mormont wants to marry me."

Sansa was struck dumb for a moment at the announcement before a laugh burst forth from her mouth and she dissolved into a near hysterical fit, Arya was just as bad a her though and only Bran put a comforting hand on poor Rickon's shoulder. Both sisters had met the exceptionally strong willed girl from Bear Island and their sweet brother would have no chance against her. They adored Rickon and knew he would be safe with her but seeing him married to such a strong girl was hilarious.

"And will you?" Sansa asked after managing to calm down and looked at her brother with a raised eyebrow. Rickon shifted uncertainly before answering.

"Maybe."

The others smiled, he was drawn to Lyanna they realised and would no doubt make their newest cadet branch a ferocious one. It would unfortunately mean though that Rickon would be going to live in Deepwood Motte, that made all of them feel a bit sad after all they had just come back together but at least he would have a castle and a place to start a family.

"I'll be leaving soon as well." Bran said suddenly, shocking them all. "Greywater Watch will be an interesting castle to live in not to mention the children Meera and I will eventually have, for a time I will return when the real fight begins. So Sansa you will rule Winterfell as Lady Paramount of the North with Arya as the heir." Bran told them in a very matter of fact way which sounded incredibly detached and disturbed all of them, speaking like he knew things they did not. But Sansa was also surprised that her brother was not going to rule Winterfell, it took a moment for it to sink in but now she was the real ruler here...her and Arya.

A smile did return to her lips as she really felt she had the chance to make her parents proud and prove she hoped that she was a Stark, to prove her father was right about her in his letter.

* * *

 _ **Meereen, Slaver's Bay…**_

Daenerys watched over the water of the bay in front of her where some of the wrecks were still burning after her dragons had set them ablaze. The rest of the crews had surrendered and now she had all the ships she needed to at last sail for Westeros especially with many Dothraki now at her back as well. But as she turned to face her council her heart felt heavy, she had time to think while out there with the Dothraki and away from Meereen. Time away from power and being reduced down to near nothing again had made her see the world anew and now it was clear to her what she had to do.

"My friends." She said seeing the missing space where Ser Jorah might have sat now she had forgiven him for his earlier betrayal and his determination to help her would have meant his immediate reinstatement here but he had been infected with the dreaded greyscale and had decided to go to Westeros where he might find a cure. She desperately hoped he would succeed, having him at her side again would be...agreeable she thought with a slight smile. Seeing her council waiting on her words she finally spoke.

"When I was out there by myself and when I returned to see Meereen under attack by slavers...I realised that there is still so much to be done here. What was started here, a state of freed people living their lives as they choose needs to be protected and in time other places held by slaves need to be helped. So although it honestly was the hardest decision I have ever made, here I am so here I will stay and I hope all of you will be here with me to make something of this land. Together I know we could." Daenerys said with a slightly sad air about her but at the same time there was hope in it, maybe she thought with hope she could leave the bad parts of her family's legacy behind and start again but it would be up to her how it would be built. The idea thrilled and terrified her in equal measure...she was seizing control of her own destiny.

The looks of her council at her announcement were mixed, she saw that Varys, Tyrion and Ser Barristan looked quite relieved that she was not going to sail and fight her niece for the Iron Throne and smiled for her news. Missandei and Grey Worm both looked encouragingly at her, they would follow her anywhere and she was glad of their support. Daario grinned at her sticking around so he could continue his attempts to woo her and keep sleeping with her, she grinned back at him. Joss Waters likewise nodded encouragingly, determined to stay at her side.

However one face looked unhappy and Daenerys was unsettled to see not only upset but also anger on Yara's face, in fact she got up from her seat and stormed out the room with the eyes of the others following her with surprise. Joss Waters looked after her with worry before turning to Daenerys who nodded, allowing him to go after her.

 **-x-**

Yara was trying not to explode or to simply get her ships and leave, she had sworn herself to go home and rebuild the Iron Islands, to restore their way of life and more crucially to her personally their pride. She had counted on the bitch's aid to take back the islands and to have her revenge against the Tyrells and the Reach for what they did to the islands.

Now she was alone, she would have no dragons or army at her back and only a hundred ships or so to call on. The rest of the fleet would not move without Daenerys' consent. She sat on her bed and punched her fists straight into the blanket but it did nothing to ease her anger or disappointment, hearing footfalls she looked up and too her great annoyance she saw Joss was in her doorway.

"Look I really don't want to fuck you right now." She said thinking he was here for a repeat of last night and the night before that and more nights than she cared to remember. She had been experienced before him but for some reason she could not help herself...Joss had been her bed partner more than any other man or woman and yet she could feel a familiar warmth between her legs already start again but she resisted the urge to jump him.

"I don't intend to screw you right now, that we can do later I just came to see what you are going to do. Sail home and try to cling to the dying embers of the past...or stay and build something new here. The world if you haven't noticed is changing, the Old Ways don't work any more." Joss said which only made her angry.

"IT WAS OUR WAY OF LIFE! WE TOOK WHAT WE WANTED AND PROVED OURSELVES DOING IT!" She yelled at him, getting up from her bed and standing nearly nose to nose although he was taller than her by at least a head so it was really nose to neck. Joss however was not the least intimidated and in fact started yelling back as he grew tired of her not listening.

"EXACTLY! IT 'WAS' YOUR WAY OF LIFE! A WAY OF LIFE THAT MADE YOU HATED AND REVILED ACROSS THE ENTIRE WORLD! ALL YOU PROVED WAS THAT YOU WERE LAZY! SO LAZY THAT YOU COULDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO LEARN TO FEED YOURSELVES AND NEEDED TO STEAL TO SURVIVE! THAT IT PISSED OFF SO MANY PEOPLE THAT THEY CAME TO YOUR ISLANDS NOT ONCE BUT TWICE AND LED TO ONE OF THE GREATEST MASSACRES IS THE HISTORY OF WESTEROS! IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THINGS NEEDED TO CHANGE AND PERHAPS YOU NEED TO AS WELL BEFORE IT GETS YOU KILLED LIKE IT DID YOUR UNCLE!"

Yara honestly felt like she had been slapped in the face, he had said such before as had others but never with so much force or anger behind them. She had been raised with those beliefs but even she had known that the moment Westeros reunited all their gains would be taken off them. Look how fast the Northerners had kicked them out once they had returned, Deepwood Motte, Torrhen Square and Winterfell, all retaken very quickly. Was Joss right she thought with sadness? Where the Old Ways too 'old' now to keep up with the modern world? It was a question that unsettled her as if the answer was yes then where did they go from here?

She sat down on her bed again and put her head in her hands, her life had seemed so secure and now she was adrift like a ship with no anchor or sails at the mercy of the currents and the tides. Could she really do it? Start again?

Well she thought with resignation? It wasn't like she had much choice.

 **-x-**

While the rest of her court had dispersed to attend their duties Daenerys sat in the throne room but rather than sit on her throne such as it was she sat on the steps pondering her decision and wondering again if it was the right one, it had changed everything...the entire course of her life but after what she had been told by Ser Barristan, Lord Tyrion and the Spider that was for the best. At last she had control of her own destiny, free from the binds of the past, it made her smile slightly at how liberating that felt, that she was free of her family's legacy and able to make a fresh start.

"The people are overjoyed at you're staying here." A voice from the side said making her turn to look, seeing Tyrion there with a cup of what she suspected was wine in his hand. How in the blazes could he drink so much? She asked herself in astonishment. "They are already changing the name from Slaver's Bay to Dragon's Bay."

"I like that, Dragon's Bay. A real clean break from the past." Daenerys said with her smile growing wider. "Everything new, even relationships I should hope."

"That would be an achievement in itself, are you afraid?" Tyrion asked as he walked over and sat beside her. She nodded slightly and he said with a tone that sounded pleased. "Good, you are now charting a new course and that can be terrifying. Your in the great game now, your grace." He said with concern.

"Well you have failed to assuage my fears and doubts so you are not much good at consoling me but from what I am told you did a good job of ruling my city for me while I was gone." Daenerys said with a smile. "So I am accepting you properly into my service and for that I give you this." She said pulling something from the folds of her dress she had ordered made before her sudden flight from Meereen. A golden hand badge which Tyrion looked shocked to see. "I do hope that its right, I only had a vague idea and Ser Barristan's description." She said before pinning it on his chest. "I name you Hand of the Queen."

Tyrion for the first time since she had met him looked actually emotional at that moment as he got to his feet and knelt before her and said.

"For what its worth your grace, I believe in you."

For the first time since she had made the decision to stay here in Essos and give up on a return to Westeros, in that moment she knew she had made the right choice.

* * *

 _ **Skagos, the North…**_

Jon was honestly surprised to find out how desolate Skagos was when he landed with a dozen or so of his men, he had heard the island and its nearby neighbour Skane were rough and mountainous but he had not imagined it was this bad. Hardly any plants could be seen and the bitter cold wind blew harshly over the land. It had been hard to land here with the dangerous currents around the island especially in winter, however as Jon stepped out of the boat and put his foot on the rough and rocky beach he saw what looked like piece of dragonglass. He picked it up and examined it, he had heard they had it on the island but if there was a lot more of it then perhaps this island had just become their most important resource.

Putting the piece he had found in a pouch at his waist before setting off, his men walking behind him with uncertainty given the terrible reputation of the Skagosi but as they made their way to Kingshouse, seat of House Magnar who were supposed to be the most civilised of the families here they saw no sign of any human life. A few of their shaggy unicorns caught their eye before running off but other than that nothing. Jon and his men started to become more worried as they wondered if this was some kind of ambush.

But nothing happened and soon they would discover why.

Finally making it to the ledge overseeing Kingshouse all of them were stunned at the sight in front of them. Kingshouse was a primitive stone castle with no wall or towers and the buildings around it were small and poorly constructed and all of them were burnt black, completely ruined. Around the area Jon and his men could see corpses strewn about which had been reduced to burnt husks fixed in their last moments of terror.

Jon was struck dumb for a moment by what he was seeing, he had expected to find deserted homes and corpses animated by a walker not this! Whatever had burnt not only the buildings but the people as well had been no walker, Jon looked for any sign of what might have done this but all he could see was scorched earth and rock.

Then a sound immediately made all of them reach for their weapons and jump into ready positions, a deafening roar echoed all around them. None of them had ever heard anything like it and they looked around urgently trying to find the source of the sound but they saw nothing except the barren mountains around them and their desperate attempts to see what it was that they were up against continued and Jon thought briefly if they should make a run to the boat but it had taken them an hour of hiking over rough terrain, the chance they would get there without breaking a leg or quick enough to escape whatever it was that haunting the island was very remote.

However one of the men yelled in fright as a dark shape moved swiftly around the mountains, their eyes darted around trying to anticipate where it would emerge until finally it emerged into the valley.

The size of the beast was immense, at least fifty feet long and a wing span of at least double that. Its scales dark red, in some areas nearly black. Its maw was large enough to swallow a horse whole with ease and its roar was deafening as it echoed across the mountains. Jon was wide eyed at the sheer size and mere sight of the great creature knowing full well what it was from pictures shown to him and Robb by Maester Luwin when they had been boys.

A dragon, maybe the largest in the world flew above them and around the mountains thankfully not noticing them yet but then that changed as the great beast flew down at them, Jon and his men ducked just in time to miss its tail swinging at them although one man was unlucky enough to be hit and thrown over the edge and rolled down a steep hundred feet slope before smashing his head open on a rock.

Jon and his men looked in horror at the gory scene and his men began to panic, running down the path towards the boat only for the dragon to swoop down and with a great roar, incinerate them with a tremendous blast of fire. Jon was shocked and terrified at the sheer power of the dragon, he knew it was not his sister's or any of her supporters but as it flew around the mountains like it was circling him, waiting for him to run too.

Jon glared at beast, angered at the killing of his men and his fury stopped any fear and he decided there and then that he was not going to be this thing's prey. He had no idea what happened next as he seemed to enter some kind of trance, everything disconnected as his body moved on its own. He ran at the closest ledge to the dragon and leapt from it onto the dragon's back as it flew around it.

The dragon instantly was not amused and started twisting and flying very fast in awkward positions to try and force Jon off its back but Jon refused to let go, his hands and legs gripped hard to the dragon and refused to let go.

The beast was frantic to try and get Jon off and tried harder and harder to make Jon let go but as its attempts continued, Jon could 'feel' for lack of a better term its resolve fading and he sensed the dragon's fierce mind connecting with his. It had been on its own for a long time and was very uncomfortable around humans, one had tried to attack it when it was young and it had been scared of them ever since. She Jon thought, knowing some how it was female had been forced to survive alone and had to to nest in the mountains here feeding on fish and the occasional unicorn until the Skargosi had discovered her and tried to kill her.

She had been frightened and defended her territory by killing the hunters only for more of them to keep coming and eventually she had destroyed all the settlements on the island to make them leave her alone. Jon instantly felt pity for her and gently rubbed her long neck, the dragon stopped struggling and landed. She was confused by the sensation and feelings coming from Jon but started to relax as she felt the human meant her no harm. It was strange for her and she probed his feelings for ill-intent, but finding none she settled down and allowed him to keep petting her.

Jon smiled, knowing the dragon was now much more relaxed and at ease and had established a connection with him not unlike the one he had with Ghost. She had no rider and no other dragons to keep her company, she was lonely and needed someone to connect with so as difficult as it might be, she was coming with him.

Caralys he thought, naming her after another Targaryen dragon and distorting it slightly for her gender.

* * *

 _ **Highgarden, the Reach...the day of the Trial...**_

Harry was preparing to go to Kings Landing now he was certain that Loras would be in the Great Sept when an urgent knocking came at the door, Harry frowned knowing time was short and he had to act today but he realised his absence would be suspicious so he answered and hoped whatever it was could be dealt with swiftly. Opening the door he found the old Maester Lomys looking winded before blurting out desperately.

"My lord, there is a violent disagreement between Lord Blackmont, Lord Caron and Lord Mullendore in the yard. I do not know how it started but they are threatening to kill each other, you are needed right away."

Harry grimaced knowing this was not going to be quickly dealt with but he couldn't have a fight between his allies on the dawn of war, those lords were chauvinists and wouldn't listen to Rhaenys or her ladies so it would have to be him. He quickly rushed to the yard with the old maester at his heels to stop this potential problem before it got any worse.

 **-x-**

 _ **The Great Sept, Kings Landing…**_

The trial of Loras Tyrell was now underway, the High Sparrow stood with his followers surrounding the lord that they had brought down low and shamed all with his 'perversions'. The mob mentality of groups meant they were howling with each damning fact that was presented no matter how small, petty or even if it was vaguely truthful. Loras was feeling beaten down for all his time in captivity and that his only real chance, a trial by combat had been denied.

The High Sparrow was pleased as he looked on, feeling vindicated in his beliefs and fervency that the Seven's dominance over the lands of Westeros. He honestly felt the touch of the gods upon him and their approval of his actions as the high lord was brought down low at his...at their will he thought correcting himself and stopping his pride from taking over. Seeing the missing Septa Unella and the Queen Mother was absent did irritate him and he planned to send his sparrows to go and bring the woman here when this trial was done. The lack of Crownlords did not even register with him as he watched the trial.

Lord Kevan Lannister stood watching sadly as his eldest son stood alongside this maniacs and nothing he could do seemed to make the boy see sense, at his side Grand Maester Pycelle was as docile as ever.

None of them knew a thing about the stacks of wildfire that had been placed under the Great Sept, no one knew of the child Qyburn had bribed to light the fuse and no one knew that from a balcony over a mile away a very smug and arrogant woman was watching with eagerness. All of those around the Great Sept only had a brief moment to realise what was about to happen.

Outside however as normal men and women went about their business, everything seemed perfectly normal and was shaping up to be like any other day.

Then the ground beneath their feet began to shake they looked around puzzled when suddenly a massive cloud of green flame burst from the windows of the great sept before like a shattering glass the building was torn apart, flames and rubble spewing outward in nearly every direction like a tidal wave, smashing apart all the buildings that surrounded it. People screamed as they were engulfed by the green fire or were crushed by falling rubble. The bell of the great sept flew like it weighed nothing across the sky and crashed into a street of fleeing onlookers, crushing most of them to death before the flames finished off the survivors.

 **-x-**

From a distance away in the Red Keep, two people witnessed the explosion from their rooms. One was sipping her wine with a smirk of enjoyment, Cersei Lannister savoured the deaths of all her enemies. The Foolish peasant who had thought himself the gods' hammer, her treacherous uncle and pet maester and all the Tyrells who actually had the audacity to try and think themselves her equal or even better Cersei scoffed. Qyburn had assured her that Loras Tyrell and his brother were in the sept and with them gone, everything could be hers.

Elsewhere Tommen looked at his mother's handy work with despair, all that was good in the city had perished with that blast he thought as a dark wave of depression fell on him. So many people died in terror and pain he thought as tears rolled down his young face, his great uncle, the High Sparrow and so many others. That his own mother was responsible only made the pain that was gripping him worse, he had known she was bad but to do something like this made her in that moment seem like something dragged up from the deepest bowels of the Seven Hells Tommen thought with despair.

He took the crown off his head and stared at it, he should have prevented this catastrophe he thought, no matter what else he did people were always going to remember this when writing books on history. The destruction of the Great Sept of Baelor and the deaths of thousands. He put the crown on the nearby, glad no servant was here to see him as he climbed up onto the window ledge and caught one last glimpse of the city that had been his home before throwing himself out of the window. Thinking as he fell that maybe the next world would be free of monsters like his mother.

 **-x-**

When Ser Arys Oakheart stared at the devastation from his room's window in the White Sword Tower he said a silent prayer for those poor souls that had been caught in that blast. What a horrible way to die he thought and then as he looked away, not able to see such scenes at that moment he saw the blond haired figure of his king fall from his room's window. Arys without thinking reached out a hand, not sure what he was thinking but he was powerless to watch as his king, the third in his time as Kingsguard died right there in front of him.

He fell to his knees and braced himself as he seat in front of the window, he had sworn to Ser Jamie that he would protect and guide his grace. King Tommen had rejected his counsel in favour of the High Sparrow but he had tried his best...he did not know for certain who would claim the throne now but he had a strong feeling that Cersei would and revulsion filled him at the mere idea serving her.

He would go to Dragonstone Arys decided quickly as he got to his feet and see Ser Jaime in person to face judgement for failing to protect their king.

* * *

 _ **Highgarden, the Reach…**_

Harry was nursing a big headache, the lords had taken far longer than he was happy with to calm down all the lords and restore order, hours in fact and he only hoped it had not been too much of a delay when he managed to escape the attention of the lords to apparate to Kings Landing and infiltrate the Great Sept.

But when he arrived there he was greeted by a scene of devastation.

He stared wide eyed at the destruction in front of him, the area was nearly unrecognisable and if not for the sight of the ruins of the Dragon Pit and the Red Keep in the distance you would never have believed that the piles of burnt rubble, wood and other debris was the Great Sept...or what was left of it. Harry desperately with his cloak on looked around and took the Stone of Resurrection off his finger and turned it over three times, fixing his brother in his mind and hoping that maybe his brother might not be amongst the dead only for that hope to be dashed when the image of Loras in his shining armour simmered into existence before him.

"Sorry brother, it seems you were too late to stop this." Loras said apologetically and Harry just sat down on a piece of rubble after giving the ruins another look, his failure eating away at him. He had sworn to his grandmother that they would get Loras back and he had failed...Margaery was going to be heart broken too Harry realised and asked while resting his face in his hands with despair.

"What happened?"

"Cersei Lannister detonated a large cache of wildfire under the Great Sept, everyone inside along with a lot of people outside died as a result. Tommen took his own life after seeing what his mother had done and she now intends to name herself Queen of Westeros. Looks like you have a lot to do brother." Loras said sadly. "Avenge us."

Loras then simmered away and Harry looked at the space for a moment before saying quietly to himself.

"Yes I will."

So he apparated back to Highgarden as quickly as he could, specifically to his own set of rooms where Rhaenys, her ladies and their children all waited under Kanoro's watchful eye. Upon seeing him appear they all looked over and saw he was alone and the defeated expression on his face.

"What has happened?" Myria asked as she handed her daughter a toy to distract her while the grown ups talked.

"Cersei Lannister has blown up the Great Sept." Harry said simply as he sat down.

The shock in the room was so great that no one made a sound and so Harry expanded on his explanation.

"She ignited a cache of wildfire underneath the sept and blew the entire thing sky high, killed everyone inside and levelled most of the area around it. I don't know how many she killed but it has got to be well over a thousand with all those inside the sept as well...including Loras." Harry said sadly.

The others immediately gave him sympathy that he didn't want, instead he said.

"We have our rallying call, its time to make our move and tear this delusion bitch down. Her reign as queen will be short I promise you that." Harry told them and then pulled the ring off his finger again and turning it three times with one person he had yet to summon with the others watching just who he was calling...that was until a tall and elegant looking Valyrian woman in regal dress appeared. One that was vaguely familiar to Rhaenys alone.

"Grandmother?" Rhaenys asked, surprised to see her dead Targaryen grandmother standing in front of her. The tall woman smiled gently at the sight of her granddaughter.

"My little dragon, oh you have grown so beautiful and all your children!" She said with a ghostly tear in her eyes at the sight of the six children who all stared at the ghost woman with awe.

"No one but you called me that." Rhaenys said distantly as she saw the only member of her father's family that had been good to her and her mother. Rhaella seemed delighted at that.

"You remember!" She said, smiling at that before saying. "And now you are about to become a queen! I can think of no one better than my little dragon!" Rhaella said with pride and Rhaenys seemed unable to speak at her grandmother's enthusiasm. The children likewise were so fixated that none of them noticed when Harry went over to his desk and pulled something out of one of the drawers, wrapped in cloth they only noticed it when he walked next to Rhaenys and carefully unwrapped it, revealing a delicate number of white and yellow gold bands with small diamonds and sapphires.

"My crown!" Rhaella exclaimed in surprise, it had been made especially for her by her father as a name-day present and Harry nodded with Rhaenys looking surprised and almost in awe of the expertly made piece that she remembered her grandmother wearing.

"I acquired it in Braavos years ago and held on to it, now I wonder if it would be agreeable to you both, I would make Rhaenys a queen with this." Harry said, offering it to his wife who looked stunned and did not reach for it, instead she turned to Rhaella who was surprised like her before saying.

"In my life, I tried to do my duty. That meant marrying a man I hated and enduring his abuse to keep the peace, killing myself to provide children two of which turned out just as bad as him." She said painfully, remembering Rhaegar and Viserys. They might have come from her womb but they were their father's sons in the end and she could only hope that Daenerys did not follow suit. "You however I want to choose your own fate, you are the best hope for a good future in this country and I want you to take your birthright and restore peace to this land...but not at the expense of your own happiness. This road is long, hard, full of challenge and can be the end of you if you let it. Please choose for yourself." Rhaella said with sadness, wanting her granddaughter to live a life that was full and happy not one dictated by duty alone like she had.

Rhaenys swallowed and looked at the crown for a moment before Mira, her second daughter said brightly.

"Mama a princess!"

Rhaenys turned to her daughter and said with a small smile as she finally accepted just who she was and what that meant.

"No sweetling, mama is a queen and you are the princess."

* * *

 _ **Dragonstone, the Narrow Sea…**_

Jaime who was standing by the painted table had to grasp it for support as Ser Arys told him the news, the shock of his son's death and that his sister the boy's own mother had been the force behind it was an earthshaking blow that had left him broken.

My son, Jaime thought as tears formed in the corners of his eyes. My bright and caring little boy dead long before his time.

Dead because of Cersei.

Jaime's sorrow was tainted by his anger as he considered his whore of a twin, her arrogance and ambition so great it overrode everything else. It had ruined his life when he had gone along with her plots and she had turned their eldest into a monster with her favouritism, spoiling him and rotten lessons…now it had killed their second son just because she had not been able to share power and had to have it all to herself.

Jaime was ready to pick up _Brightroar_ and go to Kings Landing to finish her when he suddenly remembered that despite Cersei's actions and despite all their family had done, there was still one child of his left in this world.

Myrcella, she was still alive in Dorne and just about to wed its prince.

He had to go to her Jaime thought with a new sense of desperation falling on him, she was all he had left he thought urgently and he needed to protect her. To make sure she did not suffer the same fate that had befallen her brothers and if it cost him his own life to do it then he could live with that sacrifice. He turned to Ser Arys who had come in person to tell him the news and told him with a grim face.

"I intend to go to Dorne and swear myself to the protection of Princess Myrcella, I would be honoured if you would accompany me there."

Ser Arys looked surprised but nodded quickly, like him Jaime realised Ser Arys had no intention of serving such a horrible person as Cersei. After serving under Robert and Joffrey it would be nice to protect the kind and charming princess for a change.

* * *

 _ **Highgarden, the Reach…**_

Night had fallen as all the lords gathered in the enormous hall of the castle, sitting at the long tables which made Harry think from his position at the head table, of Hogwarts and how the four houses there had sat at the four long tables. He quickly banished those thoughts and looked over to Olenna who was wearing black again, she had been the next person he had told about Loras and although she would never admit it her heart had been broken at the death of one of her grandchildren. She nodded and although Rhaenys wasn't here yet he stood and banged his goblet on the table several times loudly until the noise died now and everyone was giving him their full attention.

"I am sure most of you are as yet unaware of what happened in Kings Landing." Harry said getting up from his seat at the head of the table. At the side of him was Olenna, Oberyn, Kanoro, the Chief Septon of Oldtown and most of Rhaenys' ladies who all gave him encouraging glances. "Cersei Lannister has exploded a large cache of wildfire underneath the Great Sept of Baelor, it completely destroyed the building and killed everyone inside...including my brother." Harry said sadly.

The hall was stunned and all the lords gathered were shocked to hear what had happened but that lasted only for a moment as they soon started angrily murmuring between themselves. The more pious amongst them were angered by the destruction of the most important sept in the country while only a couple were mad at what had happened to Loras. Harry would have been sad at that...that his brother was hardly going to be missed but he had more to say.

"And if that was not enough, King Tommen Baratheon upon seeing what his mother had done flung himself from the windows of the Red Keep. The whore then had the barefaced audacity to name herself Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and demands that we all bow to her!" Harry told them, a little anger creeping into his voice now as he thought at the bitch and what she had cost his family...from his grandmother and his sister.

That really got people pissed off Harry realised as the anger whispers got louder and he nearly smiled at how outraged the Reach, Stormlands and Dorne were at the idea of bending the knee to a Lannister, especially one that had carried out such a travesty and then had the pride to name herself their queen! Not to mention all of them were by now aware of her incest with her brother and disgusted by her actions. Harry nodded and then came to the moment of truth...would they support him and his wife in their bid for the throne? Would they fight for him or side with their enemies?

"The bitch believes she and she alone has a right to that throne but now it is time to reveal something that myself and the Martells have worked desperately to hide, not all of Rhaegar Targaryen's children died at the hands of Tywin Lannister in Kings Landing all those years ago. One survived." Harry told them and if the whispers were getting louder before then now rose more than double and with impeccable timing the doors to the hall opened and in walked his wife and she took not only his breath away but all the men in the room.

She was a vision, her long dark hair styled into waves that fell to her waist and her outfit was the most eye-catching he had ever seen. It was a black and crimson silk dress with an elaborate pattern sewn into it resembling a dragon, the small golden earrings that her mother had once worn dangled from her ears and her narrow waist was held there by the jewelled belt that had belonged to the original Targaryen queen she was named for and around her necklace the gold necklace decorated with orange crystals that had belonged to the Mariah Martell, the first Martell to be wed into House Targaryen and a former queen of Westeros. As she walked towards the head table she stood tall and proud, regal and enthralling like a goddess amongst men. She joined Harry at the top of the hall and gave a brief smile to her uncle who had a tear in his eye at how his little niece looked so much like a queen before she straightened her expression and turned to face the gathered lords, allowing Harry to introduce her at last as her true self.

"My wife, the mother of my children, the Lady of the Stepstones and now the Reach, her grace Rhaenys Targaryen."

The hall was silent for a moment as they absorbed that piece of information, not sure what to make of it at first. Then the whispers started again, many confused and more than a few in disbelief but Oberyn in his hotheaded way spoke up.

"She is no fraud, she is my niece and the one true queen of Westeros, her husband its king and their children the rightful princes and princesses. On behalf of House Martell I swear it to be true and if you need more proof of her identity look out of the window." Oberyn said knowing full well what had been arranged for their benefit.

Most of the lords were confused at the statement and looked out of the windows and saw nothing at first until they heard an earth-shattering roar followed by others and were terrified to see five enormous dragons flying in formation around the castle under the supervision of Aeron and Daena who rode theirs. A scream came from one of the more 'fearful' lords and Harry and Rhaenys smirked as did many others.

"Then I trust no one doubts my identity." Rhaenys said now taking centre stage, drawing their attention to back to her. "Please return to your seats, I assure you that you are perfectly safe. The dragons will harm no one unless I or my husband wish it." She told them with a smirk and they unsurprisingly did as they were told and returned to their seats.

"For too long have the Reach, Dorne and the Stormlands been overlooked." Harry said standing shoulder to shoulder with his wife as equals. "Robert Baratheon ruined this country and the Lannisters have divided it more than at nearly any other time in its entire history. We have all fought for false kings and what have we received in return? NOTHING!" Harry said increasing his volume for that word before lowering it again. "Our achievements belittled, our suffering and trial reduced to a mere footnote while they dine themselves on coin taken from us or rewarded themselves for having us do the dirty work for them. Whose troops saved Kings Landing from Stannis Baratheon? Who beat the Iron Born? Who stamped out the Red Cult here and took power away from their puppet king? Who invested all the effort to make this country great? WE DID!" Harry said laying on a bit thick and stretching the truth in some areas but it was what they wanted to hear and judging by the many that made sounds of agreement he had struck a cord. Rhaenys now took over to continue what he had started.

"Now the whore daughter of Tywin Lannister, an overpaid butcher who never won a fair fight in his entire life names herself queen over her bastard son's cold dead corpse when she had no right to the throne!" Rhaenys said angrily and the lords in the hall all shouted their agreement and some banged their cups on the tables. "I will not stand for it...I ask all of you to join me and my husband in bringing justice for all that they had have and to rise with us as we take back this country from the corrupt and the dishonourable pretenders that would steal it from us. The Westerlands and the Crownlands that have sided with her will fall before us."

The yells of agreement grew deafeningly loud as the lords rose from their seats to signal their willingness, even the Velaryons and the Westernlords that had joined them. Olenna for the first time since learning Loras had died smiled slightly as the septon got up from his seat, Harry and Rhaenys had spoken to him before hand about all this and held Rhaella's crown aloft for them all to see when Oberyn then revealed a surprise of his own. Holding a bundle aloft too he unwrapped it and revealed to all of them a simple looking crown with several square rubies in a dark grey metal band, however the metal was no ordinary steel.

"The Crown of Aegon the Conqueror, held in the vaults of House Martell for centuries as no king had the right to wear it...until now." Oberyn said to surprised Harry and turning to the septon they swapped crowns, so Harry and Rhaenys knelt as the Septon and Oberyn spoke the words that needed to be said.

"May the Warrior grant them courage and protect them in these difficult times. May the Smith grant them strength, that they might bare this heavy burden. And may the Crone, she who knows the fate of all men and women, show them the path they must walk and guide them through the dark places that lie ahead. In the light of the Seven, we now proclaim Harry of House Tyrell and Rhaenys of House Targaryen, first of his name, second of hers...King and Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men. Lord and Lady of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Faith. Long may they reign."

"Long may they reign." The lords chanted, accepting Harry and Rhaenys as their new rulers with loud applause.

* * *

 _ **The Red Keep, Kings Landing...**_

In the Red Keep a far more sedate and grim crowning ceremony was taking place, Cersei sat on the Iron Throne stern faced as the crown was placed on her head.

Inside she was experienced a muted kind of joy at finally having the real chance to rule on her own without having to do it in anyone's shadow, her heart was heavy though for the death of her last boy. Why he had done it? She thought with misery, killed himself like that?

But although that question continued to haunt her the weight of the crown on her head made the day almost worth it, she saw Qyburn as he stood at her side and while she was still angry at his mistake for assuming that Harry Tyrell had been at the Great Sept it had turned out just fine. The boy could call his banners but what threat was that to her, she had the Westerlands and Crownlands on her side and soon she would have a new treasury full of gold at her disposal, that would mean she could hire the Golden Company and put down his insurrection and kill all his bawling brats she thought viciously.

All she had to do was convince Randyll Tarly of the opportunity she was willing to give him.

* * *

 _I hope you all enjoyed that chapter, a lot happened but now the story is moving into the final act there is a lot to do. Please review and let me know what you think._

 _ **Next Chapter**_ _– The War for Westeros begins as Harry and Rhaenys make their presence felt._


	32. Chapter 32 War for Westeros

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _Sorry to say that this chapter is shorter than normal, I decided to split the war into two so hope that is good._

 _A lot of you have been eager for Cersei to face justice for what she did and I assure you she will but I would like to know what you guys think should happen to her? I have a few ideas myself but I am open to some fresh ideas._

 _One thing I would like to say before we start is remember that Harry and Rhaenys have been planning this for quite some time, they have five dragons and an army of well over a 125,000 men drawn from the Stormlands, the Reach and Dorne not to mention the Stepstones._

 **Chapter 32 – War for Westeros**

 _ **The Westerlands/Reach border…**_

The morning air was cool as winter began to settle in Westeros, men on patrol could see their breath in the early morning and hated being on patrol. One patrol from House Serrett of Silverhill was given the job of scouting for potential attacks from the south, the knight leading the men from his horse was rubbing his eyes to try and wipe the sleepiness away and looked like he wanted to be there as much as they did.

Then there was a strange sound in the air, none of them could find the source in the hilly area around them and it seemed to be getting louder. The knight commanding was suddenly drawn to one of the smaller hills by one of his men shouting.

"LOOK!"

They all turned and saw to their horror a massive column of men on horseback marching straight towards them, the knight grabbed the reins of his horse ready to run to Silverhill and leave his men for dead when over the enormous column of men came a large, bronze coloured scaly beast, flying faster than a bird and roaring loud enough to deafen them.

They only had a moment to think about what they were seeing before the dragon dived and enveloped them in a powerful blast of flame.

Harry from his dragon looked down at the men that he and Talos had just killed feeling some sympathy for the men who had just been following orders, but this was war and hard choices had to be made.

 **-x-**

 _ **Silverhill, the Westerlands…**_

The army of House Serrett gathered outside the castle walls, its lord having no time to rally his forces (limited as they were from the losses taken in the last war) was forced to call on only his household knights to challenge the thousand of so knights of House Mullendore that had lined up on the battle field. Lord Serrett's son led them while his father hid behind the walls, he was not very confident of victory but still had enough men to fight.

That was until the dragon appeared.

A great beast of bronze colour appeared from over the hill with thousands of more men on horseback following in its wake, the young man instantly realised that he had made a cardinal error and turned his horse to run but before he could the dragon blocked his path with a blast of fire before emitting another along the walls of the castle, killing all the men that lined it instantly and destroying their weapons before shooting an even more powerful fireball at the closed castle gates, forcing them open with great force.

Harry and Talos flew easily overhead and his dragon roared, men below screaming in terror of the great creature and as Reach men ran through the now destroyed gates they threw them their weapons with great urgency less the dragon descend again and the Reach soldiers did not need to lift a finger to find Lord Serrett as his men threw him down to the Reach men.

 **-x-**

 _ **Cornfield…**_

The army of House Swyft clashed on the open field with a large column from Martell and Yronwood houses, Oberyn Martell was in his element as he ducked and weaved his way around the battlefield with his spear in hand, stabbing men or swinging it into their shins to make sure they stumbled or fell, leaving them vulnerable to either him or his daughter's spear who was never far from his side.

Obara had never experienced battle before and was experiencing those initial nerves but at the same time she had never been so focused in her life, using all the lessons her father had taught her to make the greatest impact on the fight that she could. Seeing a knight that bore the rooster of House Swyft on his armour she focused in on her target and lashed out with her spear to catch him in the shoulder, grinning as she did so. Only for that grin to disappear when he saw her coming and used his shield to block her jab before lashing out with it, smacking her right in the face. Dazed she fell backwards and her spear slipped from her grasp, she saw the knight above her about to plunge his sword right into her lightly armoured chest and in her dazed state she could only just register that this was going to be the moment she died and hoped it would not cause her family too much pain.

Then she was spared this fate by a spiked warhammer appearing from nowhere and smashing into the knight's head with such force it broke clean off his shoulders. As the body collapsed and the head rolled off some place she caught her first look at her saviour, he was enormous standing at well over six and a half feet tall, very broad shoulders, a large belly and muscles bigger than her head. He seemed to be missing a neck but his strength was nothing to laugh at as he picked her up by the arm and put her over his shoulders, running at great speed out of the furious melee, men parting as he ran like a warhorse straight through them to outside of the battle and put her up against a tree. She was still dazed from the blow and she thought maybe she was bleeding from her lip but a firm slap brought enough sense back to understand what he was trying to tell her.

"Don't fuck around in battle girl! It will get you killed, now stay here till your father can come get you." The huge man told her before rushing back to the fight. She started to becoming unfocused again just after remembering he was Ser Archibald Yronwood, one of Dorne's best fighters. It seemed like hours later when her father appeared in front of her and carried her to the tents for the healers to look at.

 **-x-**

 _ **Stonedance, the Crownlands…**_

House Massey had once been a loyal vassal of House Targaryen but had then served the Baratheons once they assumed the throne without too much fuss, they had served Stannis too when the War of the Five Kings had started before defecting to the Lannisters after the Battle of Blackwater Bay and had stayed there ever since...sure that they had finally picked the winning side despite envoys and letters trying to get them to join the Tyrells.

Lord Massey however realised the folly of this belief when he saw the enormous pair of dragons circling overhead, images of what he imagined had happened to Gorman, his own ancestor when he had tried to ride a dragon during the Dance. He only had a moment to react as the dark green and crimson dragons descended straight at him with tremendous speed and incinerated him and his men on the walls with an almighty blast of fire.

The sight of the dragons terrified the other men who immediately dropped their banner and surrendered to the small host led by Ser Horace Mertyns. Aeron and Daena as they flew in formation overhead and close enough gave each other a smile before flying off to continue their own missions.

 **-x-**

 _ **Blackwater Rush…**_

The small fleet of the 'Royal House of Baratheon & Lannister' moved across the bay in an attempt to reach Driftmark and sack it as a threat to other houses that had sided with the Tyrells and Martells. Ten brand new dromonds, all freshly built and intent on securing dominance of the sea under the command of a man with no loyalty to anyone but lived to sail, Aurane Waters the bastard of House Velaryon. He had sided against his own family, liking the lack of morals and opportunity to take whatever he wanted that came with Cersei rather than the up-tightness of the Tyrells. He had no real desire to kill his family or rule Driftmark but he didn't really care either. Cersei could have them and he would sail to the Stepstones and conquer them while the fucking idiots were too far away fighting on the mainland, it had been a den of pirates once and it could easily be one again.

He stood at the helm of the _Lord Tywin_ , the largest and most powerful of the ships in his fleet wishing the slight fog that had settled across the bay would part soon so he could see more clearly. His reckoning put him a short way off Driftmark now and he needed to see so he could conduct his assault and he breathed a sigh of relief as the fog finally parted only to gasp in horror at the sight ahead of him.

A massive armada of well over two hundred ships stood behind him and Driftmark, some where his family's own ships but more were bearing Stormlands and Bloodstone banners on their sails. Most where older types of warships to his but they were all warships and very well built. Aurane immediately grabbed the wheel and tried to turn away, intent on running but the catapults of the other ships instantly started firing barrels and stones at them the moment they could see.

All around them splashes as the projectiles missed at first but all order broke down amongst the dromonds as panic gripped the young captains appointed by Aurane, all the while the men on the Tyrell Allied Fleet worked on finding the range and the baring.

The first struck was the _Brave Joffrey_ , somewhat ironically titled given what a fucking coward the actual Joffrey had been Aurane had thought at the time but several stones impacted hard on the ship and sent wood and other debris flying everywhere. It's mask cracked and fell, crushing a man on deck before instantly taking on a list to the port side. Aurane grimaced as one of his new ships was rendered crippled and sinking but an impact from a barrel set his deck ablaze, his arm rising to shield his eyes.

Time seemed to slow down as in the distance he could see the _Lioness_ , the _Lady Joanna_ , the _Gallant Jaime_ and the _Princess Myrcella_ being holed or set ablaze by fire that was raining down all around them. Aurane saw in bitter amusement that the _Sweet Cersei_ was actually trying to return fire, finding the name very unlike the person it was named for...Cersei was anything but sweet.

However as he tried to turn his large and hard to manoeuvre ship around to run for the open sea and the safety of Essos, a stone hit his ship's main mast he saw it falling so fast towards him that he had no chance to move but screamed briefly before it crushed his skull and flattened it with one deadly strike.

Ten minutes or so later on the nearby _Sea Snake_ , named for the legendary vessel that had carried Corlys Velaryon around the world Lord Monford Velaryon stared sadly at the sight of the _Lord Tywin_ going down carrying his bastard brother down with it. He had been ashamed at his defection to Cersei Lannister, glad that he had not trusted him with the knowledge of their secret alliance to the Tyrells of Bloodstone or gifted him with any of their resources to waste or steal. He shook his head in his own private moment of grief, wishing that Aurane had been born with the sense he and his uncle Jothos and figured out on which side to stand if he was going to survive.

* * *

 _ **Tyrell main Camp, location unknown…**_

Harry and his senior commanders stood around the table in their tent and looked at the map of Westeros that had been laid out in front of them.

"Ser Aeron Velaryon with his dragon has managed to conquer Claw Isle with his family's men and is pressing on to Crackclaw Point with support from the Stormlands, Daena Baelerys is coming up the centre of the Crownlands with men from the Reach. Now I will continue up the Westerlands with the rest of our men. Ser Mark Mullendore will rule Silverhill since he had the bravery to lead the bait force." Harry said to his commanders who all nodded, they might have a vast army but there was also a lot of territory to cover. A lot of castles to be seized to put down all resistance to the new regime, both the Westerlands and Crownlands had to be conquered. They could go straight to Kings Landing and a fleet had already blockaded the city but his men were hungry for the chance to prove themselves and earn rewards so bending to the will of his lords, Harry had gone after the rest of Cersei's allies first. He and Rhaenys had even named the head septon from Oldtown as the new High Septon who had immediately decreed Cersei a false monarch, a demon seductress and called for the faithful to join them, an added piece of legitimacy for their rule.

His lords then got their individual assignments and left, so only Harry and Lord Tarly were still in the tent. Randyll Tarly who had crushed the Brax army and captured Hornvale, the surviving daughter Tyshara had been wed to Ser Garth Hightower who would rule the castle now while the men still alive where sent in chains south. He looked at his new king and lord before admitting something.

"Your grace, I received a letter from Cersei Lannister." Randyll told him with the same stern expression he always carried, Harry instantly became tense and glad of the swords at his waist.

"And what did it say?" Harry asked suspiciously, wondering what the Bitch of Casterly Rock had cooked up and what she had promised Randyll.

"She wanted me to seize Highgarden for her, kill you, the queen and all your children then I would be Lord of Highgarden and the Reach." Randyll told him without fear.

"So what did you say?" Harry asked carefully, not jumping to conclusions but ready if he had to be.

"I told her no, I am loyal to my king and queen." Randyll said and Harry could sense the truth in his words, so breathing a slight sigh of relief before giving him a grateful smile.

"Then I am thankful Lord Tarly, your loyalty and skill has always been highly regarded by myself and my grandmother even if my father did not and if you would accept I have something to give you." Harry said, taking something out of the pouch at his waist and offering it to Randyll.

It was a badge made of gold Valyrian steel, shaped like a hand in a circle Randyll's eyes widened at the sight of it.

"It is of course not the original, that burned with the Great Sept but if you are willing I would gladly name you Hand of the King." Harry told Randyll who stood silently for a moment before nodding his agreement and taking the badge.

"It would be an honour your grace."

* * *

 _ **Sunspear, Dorne…**_

Myrcella was enjoying the Water Gardens, walking through the beautiful place on the arm of Prince Trystane. The Dornish dress she was wearing was far more revealing than anything she would have been allowed in Kings Landing and while she was desperate to go back and see her brother now he was king she had been denied by Prince Doran. She had written letters and even sent them herself but had heard nothing back in well over a moon so she was starting to get worried. The fact she had seen many of the people whispering only to stop when she was close made her suspicious that something was going on, that the army had also mobilised only deepened the mystery.

"Prince Martell." One of the guards said coming up to them and gave a slight bow to him. "Your father has sent for you and your lady." He said and Trystane nodded.

"Thank you." He took her by the arm and led her to the Prince's solar, she occasionally saw hostility from some the servants they passed but nothing was actually said. She knew how greatly her family was hated here and it had honestly when she first arrived made her fear for her life, especially as she had known nothing but kindness at home but in time she had realised it was only a few particularly bitter people and most had by now seen past her mother's family, treating her as was expected for the Prince's betrothed.

A great deal of that had to do with Trystane himself she thought with a slight blush coming to her cheeks. He had been so courteous and so charming, she was used to that at court but somehow he had gotten under her skin and now she could only smile at their regular kissing sessions in the Water Gardens.

Arriving in the room where Prince Doran was waiting she gasped in surprise as she saw Uncle Jaime and Ser Arys Oakheart standing there too with the sharp eyes of Areo Hotah and a few guards watching them.

"Uncle Jaime!" She said breaking free from Trystane she rushed forward and embraced him, he returned the hug but slowly she realised...he had always returned her hugs before with eagerness. She looked up to him and while he was trying to smile she could see it was strained.

"Well this is different." He said trying to sound light while looking at her Dornish dress but there was the tiniest tremor in his voice which immediately let her know something was wrong.

"What is it?" She asked not sure why he would come all this way with Ser Arys when simple news could come by raven.

"Myrcella." Jaime said looking increasingly sad and uncomfortable with each word. "Your brother is dead."

That stopped her world cold, she couldn't process it her body becoming as still as a statue. Her darling little brother, sweet and kind Tommen who was more happy playing with his kittens than swinging a sword or ruling a kingdom couldn't be dead! He was far too young with all that life to live especially now Joffrey no longer was there to torment him! He couldn't possibly be dead she thought desperately and looked for even the slightest sign in Uncle Jaime's eyes that he was lying but there was nothing but cold hard truth.

She sank to her knees as desolation settled in on her tars running quickly down her face, how could this world be so cruel as to do that to her brother she thought with despair? To be so callous and harsh?

"How?" Trystane asked appearing at her side and taking her in his arms, giving her physical comfort but she was took shocked to appreciate it and looked deeply into Jaime's eyes, imploring him to to tell her the truth.

"To rid herself of the Faith Militant that she herself had set up, your mother exploded a cache of wildfire under the Great Sept, destroying it and killing all inside including your great uncle Kevan Lannister and Loras Tyrell. When he saw what she had done Tommen flung himself out of the window." Jaime told her with tears in his eyes now, sharing a grief that mirrored hers in more ways that one. She had known...at least on some level that he was her father for most of her life as he was to Tommen and Joffrey so it was his son that had died. The voice of Prince Doran Martell was an unwelcome interruption as they shared their grief.

"Lord Harry Tyrell has declared war on House Lannister due to the death of his brother, since he is wed to my niece Dorne has sided with him against your mother who has crowned herself Queen. I assure you that you will not be harmed but I must ask where you stand?" Doran asked giving her a probing look.

Myrcella's stricken look at the thought that her mother was responsible for Tommen's suicide gave him his answer and that she had named herself Queen was enough to make her want to throw up, she had known all her life how vicious and power hungry her mother was...but to do this Myrcella thought with a mix of despair and disgust...was beyond anything she had thought her capable of, she might have become angry had her shock not been so great that it rendered her numb. Her eyes caught the worried look in Trystane's and she said sadly.

"I suppose this means I won't be marrying you." She said with disappointment, her mother was now at war with his family after all. Trystane looked stricken at the idea and took a fair hold of her chin, Jaime and Ser Arys looked ready to go for their swords as did Areo with his great weapon if they made any hostile move around the prince but Trystane disarmed them all by saying.

"I want no other woman...I will only marry you. I don't care what your mother might of done, it is you that holds my heart in your hands." Trystane said before pressing his lips to hers much to her own surprise but she returned it as soon as her shock wore off.

Jaime looked on as his little girl was wrapped up in the passion of her first love and he hoped she would never feel the pain that came with disappointment and heartbreak or he would cut Trystane's balls off he swore to himself.

* * *

 _ **Westerlands…**_

Talos was a terrifying sight to the men of House Prester as he bathed their cavalry in fire while their few infantry were run down by the soldiers of House Kenning, one of the five Westerlands houses that had joined the Tyrells. They had hoped that their own men would be able to put down the traitors and defend their castle but the beast had shown them the folly of such thinking.

Feastfires was under Tyrell control within a day as the men surrendered at the sight of what had happened on the field. The ruling House Prester was locked in chains and imprisoned in their own castle while House Kenning for their loyalty to the Tyrell cause was named its new lords. House Crakehall took the lands that had once belonged to Tarbeck Hall as their new holdings while Deep Den fell to the unexpected attack on Ser Ulwyck Uller.

Elsewhere that day another battle erupted between Oxcross and Sarsfield as they combined their limited forces in an ill-advised attempt to raid the main Tyrell camp. Lord Mathis Rowan and Ser Myles Manwoody made quick work of them without any need for a dragon, Harry would reward both men by naming Ser Myles the lord of Oxcross and Mathis' son Ser Rickard Rowan the lord of Sarsfield.

The men who had sworn to Cersei Lannister did not know which way to turn as their undermanned and poorly prepared castles found themselves no match for the sheer numbers, better prepared and far better equipped Tyrell forces...to say nothing of the dragons.

It was little better in the Crownlands as Daena Baelerys and Ser Aeron Velaryon used their dragons to destroy defences on castles or armies that were foolish enough to try and take them on the field; Rosby, Duskendale, Brindlewood, Dyre Den, Antlers and other castles fell swiftly as their armies scattered rather than face dragons or men on the walls threw open the gates and handed their lords over in an attempt to save their own lives. Massey's Hook would find itself under House Velaryon who were rewarded for their loyalty with those lands. Surviving Lords, wives and sons were locked up in their own cells before being transported to castles further south that were more secure until it could be decided just what to do with them. Daughters widowed or unmarried would be wed to leading knights to solidify their hold over their new territory.

 **-x-**

 _ **The Red Keep, Kings Landing…**_

Cersei was appalled at the situation she was presented with, she had never imagined that the Tyrells would manage to get the Stormlands and Dorne on their side or that they would dare to call themselves the rightful king and queen. That last thought honestly made her fume, she was the queen...she was the queen she thought with so much anger her face became purple and if it had been a murmurs play smoke would be coming from her ears.

Randyll Tarly had disappointed her, he had actually been too scared to take advantage of the opportunity she had presented and he had stayed loyal to his bastard lord and the Vale lords had proven to be just as cowardly. They had sent ravens declaring their fealty to the Tyrells, the North and Riverlands too but she thought with annoyance that was hardly surprising after the way her father had humbled them. She had sent letters to other lords in the enemy camp but none of them seemed to have any real balls to try and seize the opportunity she was offering.

The news only got worse as she had now learned of the dragons commanded by the whore pretending to be Rhaenys Targaryen, what a pathetic lie Cersei scoffed. That little bitch had died years ago with her whore of a mother and brat of a brother at the hands of the Mountain under her father's orders.

Still as she went to see Qyburn she hoped he had something that would bring the horrid beasts down to size, her supposed allies were running like dickless cowards before them and she needed to get rid of them as soon as possible. She had received a firm rejection of her request for new loans from the Iron Bank, another group of peasants who had gotten above themselves she fumed worse they were demanding repayment of all money currently owed.

Which she couldn't do...as she had no gold, the last of the treasury had been spent on the new ships that she had lost at Driftmark.

It galled her that she...the last true Lannister was deprived of the source of her family's power but there was little she could do about it right now, still once she had gotten rid of the dragons then someone would become greedy enough to do her bidding and destroy her enemies Cersei reassured herself.

To make sure of her city's loyalty though she had ordered caches of wildfire under the city in different areas and would seal the city gates, if they rebelled she would kill them all.

"Your grace, my scorpion prototype is ready." Qyburn interrupted her plotting to show her his latest work that he claimed would be able to shoot down a dragon.

 **-x-**

 _ **Horn Hill, the Reach…**_

The screams of pain echoed through the castle as Margaery felt the pains of labour for the first time, with Randyll and Dickon away fighting the only people there to hear were the servants, Lady Melessa Tarly and her daughter Lady Talla Hightower. The latter two sat with Margaery trying to help the first time mother through giving birth.

"I want it out of me!" Margaery said exhausted after over a day of labour, the baby was coming but incredibly slowly and she was tired, Melessa mopped her good-daughter's brow while Talla tried to give her some water. Talla who herself had spent a long time delivering her own son knew full well how hard this was and did her best to comfort her good sister.

"I know, I know but its nearly over." Talla said propping her up with another pillow, the pitiful look of desperation on Margaery's face as she asked weakly.

"Really?"

"Really." Melessa added with a smile but not before quickly looking over to the midwife who nodded, Melessa then stroked Margaery's face and tried to project confidence for her good-daughter who nodded slowly before screaming again.

Melessa grabbed hold of one hand while Talla grabbed the other and both winced with the tightness of Margaery's grip, the midwife completely focused on the job said.

"I can see the head, just keep pushing."

"I CAN'T!" Margaery screamed out at them, her face covered with sweat and red with effort but the midwife did not relent and said calmly.

"Yes you can just one more big push, come on."

Margaery although she would not be sure just where she found the energy later managed one last big effort, she fell back on the bed as the babe finally arrived into the world. The midwife with experienced and careful hands took hold of the child, carefully cutting the cord and checked to see if the babe was breathing. The cries of a baby with a healthy set of lungs answered that question and after the midwife wrapped the babe in a blanket, she gave the child to Margaery who was instantly starstruck as the babe was pressed into her arms.

"A boy my lady, a very healthy boy."

Margaery just stared wide-eyed at her baby, her baby those words just echoing inside her head as she looked into his eyes. They were a warm and deep brown just like hers and he stopped crying when he saw her reaching out with his tiny hand to her. Tears started running her face as she gently let him grab her finger and hold it, a smile on her glowing face as she considered the fact that she was a mother and this was her son.

Melessa and Talla were teary eyed as well as they saw the newest arrival, sitting either side of Margaery as they too stared at their grandson and nephew respectively. He was so small, so perfect the moment seemed magical.

"What will you call him?" Melessa asked as she rubbed her finger gently against her grandson's cheek. It was a real shame that Dickon was not here to see his son born, Randyll as well so he could meet his grandson but they would be home soon enough she reassured herself. From all the stories coming from the ever expanding front line you could well believe it was already won. The fact that Randyll had been named Hand of the King was a great honour and House Tarly now was being treated with the respect it deserved Melessa thought with satisfaction but for her, the best thing in the world was right in front of her.

A baby, her grandson who had like Talla's son and later daughter ensnared her heart forever. Margaery nearly didn't answer she was so focused on her son but said a name in little more than a whisper that only they and the baby could hear.

"Loras...Loras Tarly."

* * *

 _ **Highgarden, the Reach…**_

Kanoro was annoyed in some ways to be far from the fighting, he was a warrior first and foremost but the duty he had been given was so important that he did not mind.

The children of his lord...now a king sat having lunch with their grandmother, the fiercely self confident and strong minded Lady Olenna. The children eagerly listening to their grandmother tell them stories about their father when he was a young boy and of her own family the Redwynes. He had been given command of Highgarden and a good number of men to guard it and more importantly the children while their parents were away fighting the war, apparently he was the only man they would trust with their children's welfare. That he thought with a smile did make him proud.

"Well." Lady Olenna said suddenly bringing her his attention. "Anything to add? You travelled the world with my grandson you must have some story to tell?"

Kanoro was still getting used to the old woman that Harry held in such esteem, she was unique Kanoro would admit to himself never having met a woman as strong minded as she was. Thinking for a moment he decided to heed her 'request' and tell the children a story from the 'adventures' they had when travelled on the _Liberty_.

"I will tell you the tale of when your father and I visited the Isle of Elephants and its ruler the Shan." Kanoro said, a smile forming on his face as he saw the children instantly perk up at the mention of elephants which they had heard of and seen pictures in books but never actually seen. "Your father insisted he could ride anything and refused to be told how to ride. The moment he got on the back of an elephant the beast took off and crashed straight into the Shan's carriage, smashing it to pieces, the Shan chased your father with the elephant's broken tusk for hours."

The children all stared, not quite believing their father could have managed to cause so much destruction by accident but soon Jasen and Elinor started laughing followed by their younger siblings. A messenger then appeared at the door and handed spoke with reverence.

"Lady Tyrell, a message from Horn Hill you have a new great-grandson."

Olenna had never really shown much of what some would call weakness in his sight before but Kanoro was sure he saw her eyes become slightly watery and maybe a small tear run down her face before she quickly wiped it away with her sleeve. Welcome news he was sure and she genuinely smiled, her heartache over the lost of her grandson eased slightly by the arrival of her newest great-grandson and having the rest of her great-grandchildren around her.

* * *

 _ **Winterfell, the North…**_

The scream of Ygritte as she clung tightly onto Jon echoed in the sky as they flew on Caralys' back. She shut her eyes, not able to cope with the height or speed at which they were flying, that they were flying at all was terrifying enough.

"IT'S NOT NATURAL!" She screamed as they dove down towards Winterfell, Jon smirking slightly at seeing her so out of character and that she was secured as firmly as he was to the harness. In truth he had only brought her because she had wanted to come to Winterfell as she had something to tell them all apparently, the quickest way was by dragon.

The guards on the walls of the great castle were in a fair panic at the sight of his enormous dragon, it scared the wits out of them and Ygritte, once she realised they had landed and could bare to open her eyes quickly got her feet back on the ground albeit slightly shaking from the ride. He followed her off and gently patted his dragon behind the ear which she enjoyed before putting a confirming arm around Ygritte's waist she gave him a death glare from putting her through that but did not make him let go and relaxed slightly in his hold, he saw Sansa and Arya coming out of the castle gates with complete shock on their faces at the enormous beast he had brought, as did Lady Brienne who had her hand close to her sword and warily looked at Caralys. However Maester Aemon was with the help of Arya eagerly making his way towards them with an enormous smile on his face. Caralys when she saw the old man was struck with recognition and warily sniffed him, the old man despite their worries put his hand against her snout and gently rubbed it, her tail swishing slightly like she enjoyed it which surprised them all.

"Hello old friend, I was so worried." Aemon said with a smile and tears running down his face, the dragon gently pressed her enormous snout deeper into his hand and he laughed before told Jon who was shocked at how familiar Aemon was with the dragon until he remembered the story he had told him about hatching a dragon and now understood that this was the dragon in question. "Now I know my dragon has found her rider, it is good to feel her scales after all these years."

Aemon went back to petting the dragon as they all looked on in confusion and Jon told them all.

"I'll explain later."

"I'M PREGNANT!" Ygritte shouted before he could say anything else, her nerves shredded from the ride and not able to contain herself any longer.

That shut everyone up, they all even Aemon looked at her in surprise but Jon looked like someone had just punched him in the stomach, completely in shock and lost for words. He eventually turned to Ygritte and stood face to face with her, neither able to speak Jon looked into her eyes and she returned the stare before Jon reached out and put his hand gently on her belly, like he was trying to feel the baby but as much as she wanted to say something or bat it away she couldn't. She was for the first time in her life, too scared to joke or be sassy. There was a life growing inside her, something she had created with this man and now it was going to be dependant on her...her and Jon to raise it.

She was so scared, how in the hells was she going to bring up a child? Let alone with the walkers descending upon them? Jon took her in his arms and held her trying to give her some comfort and security, not able to fully process it himself. He saw Aemon looking at them with a watery smile, the news that a new child would be born the best news he could have received ever and made him determined to live long enough to be there.

Jon smiled at the old man's thrill at the baby even if he was too startled and unsure of what to do at this moment himself, he caught the eye of Sansa and Arya who now were smiling too. Happy that the next generation of their family was about to be born...that reminded Jon of why he had come here...of what he had to say.

With his sister's decision to step into the light and now his own dragon, people were going to ask questions...it was now his turn to admit the truth.

"Sansa...Arya. There's something I have to tell you...about what really happened at the Tower of Joy."

* * *

 _ **Dragonstone…**_

The sight of a dragon flying overhead was enough to strike such fear into the hearts of the guards left by Jaime Lannister who immediately threw down their weapons and allowed the Velaryons led by the freshly knighted Ser Aeron Velaryon to take possession of the castle and along side the Tyrell Hawk, the Martell's shield & spear flew the three headed dragon of House Targaryen.

Aeron stared up proudly at that as did most of his family when they saw it, they had served House Targaryen since the days of the Freehold and been spared the Doom because of it. They had always been loyal and been rewarded for that loyalty by most of the Targaryens over the centuries...now he Aeron was being given dominion of Crackclaw Point, all that land was his and his choice of the castles there with the others being given to those that would be his vassals. His uncle and father had never looked so proud as he was named Lord of Crackclaw Point and Aeron himself was beaming from ear to ear with pride.

His uncle had been rewarded too with control of Massey's Hook and one of their cousins being named Master of Ships, Aeron's sister Rhaella was set to wed Ser Horace Mertyns, one of Lady Mertyns' grandsons that had been given control of Stonedance and more crucially named one of Queen Rhaenys' handmaidens just as she had always wanted.

He thought it odd though that his king and queen had both ordered that shipments of dragonstone be sent to White Harbour and then through to Winterfell but that was what his graces had ordered so he would obey.

 **-x-**

 _ **Rosby…**_

Daena Baelerys circled over the battlefield on the back of her dragon, smiling as the forces entrusted to her proved victorious, seizing the castle and raising a new banner over it. It was a silver dragon in flight on a blood red background, while not the original banner of House Baelerys it was what she had decided to take as her standard, in honour of her ancestor Jaenara Baelerys who had flown as far as she could and explored the continent of Sothoryos as much as she could in her lifetime...by all accounts an extremely gutsy woman Daena thought with a smile.

One she definitely wanted to emulate as she started a new branch of her family here in the Crownlands.

 **-x-**

 _ **Casterly Rock, the Westerlands…**_

Lord Gunthor Hightower with his younger brother Ser Garth led an enormous host that now surrounded Casterly Rock and Lannisport below it, he was glad of all the men around him when he saw the enormity of besieging a castle as well fortified as Casterly Rock. However he was armed with a weapon that the Lannisters had created themselves...Lady Zara had managed to acquire a map of the gold mines that were under the castle from which the Lannisters had made their fortune and the sewers of Lannisport as well. Ships of the Redwyne fleet were quietly delivering men into the openings that either already existed in the cliffs or around the coast. They would infiltrate the city and castle through the many tunnels and bring down its defences from the inside.

Gunthor smiled as he saw his queen land her two dragons on the hill and dismounted, she was a vision in her light but beautiful made Dragon rider gear. Most men within seeing distance were hypnotised but kept their gaze respectful, this was the Queen of Westeros after all. Queen Rhaenys came over and stood with them as she looked at the home of the Lannisters...oh she was going to enjoy taking it away from them she thought with a smirk.

 **-x-**

 _ **Kings Landing…**_

The capital of the Seven Kingdoms was a good sight for the men as they closed in and began to set up their siege equipment around the city, especially in front of the gates. They were bolstered by the sight of their king and his dragon flying overhead, Harry himself still hating the city he was here to conquer and would rather rule from anywhere than here but this was where the Iron Throne and the bitch were so he had to take it however much he hated it. Below him Randyll Tarly too looked at the city, pondering the best tactics for storming it and penetrating its defences to take it quickly and rid them of the pretender to the throne.

Harry landed Talos nearby and came over to Lord Tarly before asking.

"Lord Tarly, how go the preparations?"

"Ahead of time your grace, we will have all the siege engines in position and they should be ready by tonight but since our men are exhausted from the march we should allow a day before attacking so they can rest." Randyll said, aware that even with his grace's dragon taking the city was going to take a long time especially to fully secure it and the Red Keep especially due to their great size and fortifications. Their men had been on the move a lot over the last month and were in dire need of a rest, Harry nodded in agreement before adding.

"Give them two, that will give the pair of us time to plan our assault more thoroughly besides making sure they are fully rested for the attack."

Randyll nodded in agreement, more time to prepare would be good given the complex and chaotic design of the city which was still well defended.

"Your Grace! My Lord Hand! A message from Horn Hill!" One of the camp's maesters announced as he approached with a letter in hand, passing it to Harry who opened it and smiled, seeing Randyll look on expectantly Harry told him the news.

"A boy, a strong and healthy boy that they had named Loras."

Randyll outwardly only nodded but Harry come see satisfaction and the barest trace of joy in his eye at the arrival of his grandson, Dickon was attending to the siege preparations and they would tell him when he finally came to the tent but reluctantly turned their minds back to the siege.

Both men looked out from the hill were their tents were being erected at the city beyond and in particular at the Red Keep where they each knew...she was waiting.

 **-x-**

From the Red Keep, Cersei watched with a strange vacant expression in her eyes and a smile that was strange to those who saw it. Like she was lost to reality and had given into the joy and confidence known to only the completely insane.

* * *

 _Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, it was very fast paced I know but there is so much to do and say. Please review and let me know what you thought._

 _ **Next Chapter**_ _– The Starks reel from Jon's admission, he and Ygritte come to terms with being parents and the final battles of the War of Ascension begin._


	33. Chapter 33 Wars End

_**Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _We are nearly at the end I'm sorry to say, not many chapters to go but I am hard at work on the next story, A Dance of Dragons story featuring Harry and how the ripples he causes change the course of history. When it will be up I can't say at the moment but sometime in the New Year. Thank you for those that had read and reviewed this story, stuck with me through the highs and lows._

 _Cersei is finally punished in this chapter, I thank you all for your suggestions and I have come up with something that I feel is harsh enough but hopefully you all think it is enough._

 _I have discovered my notes for the end of this story have gone missing so I have to try and write this from memory. That was a key reason for the delay._

 _On with the show..._

 **Chapter 33 – Wars End**

 _ **Casterly Rock, the Westerlands…**_

On the walls of a castle that had never been breached in its entire history the guards still looked very uncomfortable on the walls as they saw the vast army camped outside, not to mention the two dragons that could occasionally be seen flying overhead. They had no idea why the enemy hadn't attacked yet but the longer it went on the more nervous they got, what were they waiting for? It was a question that was debated more than once in the barracks of the castle.

"I reckon they just want to freak us out." One man said after drinking a fair amount of ale one day to a group of his friends, they were all drunk not uncommon these days as men turned to drink in the hope of calming their nerves about what they assumed were their last days alive.

"Or they're waiting for all the dragons to get here so they can burn the castle like they did Harrenhal." Another said, depressed by the alcohol. None of them expected to escape this alive, too many were against them and too few had the conviction to simply open the gates and surrender. Too much fear over what might happen if they did.

The mines below the Rock, which had been silent for years now as the gold ran out were silent no longer as men in full armour moved through them as quietly as they could. Appearing at the entrance they smiles as they saw how depressed and unprepared the enemy was for an attack coming from inside of the walls. Only the men on the outer most wall where the siege weapons were really alert and ready but their attention was focused on the army outside not the inside, besides the heavy and stylised weapons on the walls were built to fire away from the castle the designers having never considered the castle might be breached from any other direction.

So the men were completely unprepared as the Reach men in full battle dress came rushing out of the mines and into the castle, half drunk or exhausted soldiers having only a moment to react before they were cut down by Reach-men. Men with green cloaks surging forward into the courtyard and catching the Lannister men completely by surprise.

 **-x-**

On the outside Lord Gunthor Hightower and his brother Ser Garth 'Greysteel', looking for the signal to begin their charge into the castle. High above them Rhaenys circled on her dragon and looked in on the chaos unfolding below her, seeing with an eyeglass their men overpowering the unprepared Lannisters and smiling as she saw some of their men opening the gates and Gunthor leading their men through.

Never in history had Casterly Rock fallen Rhaenys thought with satisfaction, now they had broken it and she was imagining Tywin Lannister spinning in his grave as his legacy and that of House Lannister fell into complete and total ruin. As her men secured the courtyard Rhaenys fell down and landed her dragon, Gunthor came up to her looking rather worried.

"Your grace, it might be best to wait until we have secured the castle before you join us. There are still many rooms yet to be thoroughly searched, I cannot be sure if we have dealt with all the enemy soldiers."

Rhaenys however smiled and told him.

"I only wish to see one thing, in the Great Hall I will take an escort if you wish." She told him and Gunthor looked ready to argue but her gaze withered his arguments and he turned to his brother Ser Garth.

"Take a squad of your best men and take our queen to the Great Hall." Gunthor said to Garth who nodded doing exactly as he was told and followed his queen with eyes like a hawk, scanning for any potential danger to her.

Soon they found the hall in question and the sight of the gilded walls and many elaborate decorations around her made Rhaenys roll her eyes at the sheer vanity of it, at Bloodstone they only kept a few things to celebrate past triumphs like the Seastone Chair which sat at the end of one of their halls while Euron's axe and armour were at the side. Banners of the Iron Born houses they had taken down lined the walls and that sort of thing. Here though she would have to guess that most of them had no historical value at all...it was only here to make the Lannisters appear richer to those that saw it.

Her ears pricked at a sound nearby that did not come from one of her men, she discreetly slid a throwing knife into her hand and moved closer, waiting just to see what she was dealing with.

Then a portly old man in elaborate Lannister coloured robes came rushing at her with a rusty mace in hand, her knights instantly moved to protect her but it was not necessary as Rhaenys threw her knife with the accuracy of many hours of practice straight into the man's chest. He staggered and fell forward, the impact with the floor stabbing the knife even deeper into his chest, the knights after forming a protective circle around her, kicked the man's corpse over.

"Ser Damion Lannister." Rhaenys said with a mocking shake of her head. "A cousin of the lesser branch but he was named Lord of the Rock by Cersei when she killed Kevan Lannister." She said identifying the man. Ser Garth sneered as he kicked the rusty mace away.

"Hid in here while his men were fighting and dying, can see why he was just a nobody."

Rhaenys nodded before she turned to the enormous gilded throne that the Lannisters had sat on while still kings and then later as lords, a gold chair with a silk covered cushion. Another pointless show of wealth she thought but as one last 'fuck you' to Tywin Lannister she walked up the steps to the throne and sat right on it, mocking all the Lannisters that had claimed it as their own or wanted too.

She leaned back on the uncomfortable throne and smirked.

'I win Tywin' she thought with vicious satisfaction. 'I win!'

She turned to Gunthor who smirked at the sight in front of him as he arrived in the hall before asking.

"Have you got those nifflers ready?"

"Yes although I have no idea how they are going to help us find new veins?" Gunthor said, referring to the small rodent like creatures with almost beak like snouts that Harry had discovered in Sothoryos.

"They are attracted to valuable metals, they can burrow to find them so they might find any gold left in the mines that hasn't been mined yet. Not enough to live like kings but enough to get you settled for a generation or two, until you can invest in new sources of wealth." Rhaenys advised the new Lord of the Westerlands and his brother the new lord of Hornvale.

Of course she thought with a quiet smirk Gunthor didn't know yet that Harry was going to name him as the new Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West, Harry would not trust such an important seat to just anyone and now that the only Lannisters in position to inherit were either dead or disqualified for various reason they could award it to whoever they liked.

* * *

 _ **Winterfell, the North…**_

Sansa and Arya were silent as they sat in their solar, not sure what to think as they mulled over what had been disclosed to them by Jon.

That he was not their brother but their cousin and more to the point he was the son of Rhaegar Targaryen, the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. He had told them to keep it to themselves and that he had no intention of trying to claim the throne but still the thought stuck in the back of their minds.

It was his birthright, his right and it would be such a moment to see their brother the most noble and self-sacrificing man they knew sitting on the Iron Throne...but at the same time he didn't want it and who could blame him? He had told them what Rhaegar had done to their aunt, how he had come to...apart from Maester Aemon and his half sister Rhaenys (who both Sansa and Aryta deeply respected) Jon wanted absolutely nothing to do with his Targaryen heritage...well that and the dragon they thought gods know how they were going to explain that one.

Him claiming the throne would also put them opposite the Tyrells, the family that had taken them in and given them safety when it had all fallen apart. If not for them, both Sansa and Arya shuddered at what could have happened to both of them. They dreamt of it sometimes, Arya living on the run and nearly losing her identity while Sansa stayed tormented and abused for years even raped by Ramsay. It was just one version of what could have happened but it scared them both more than they wanted to admit.

They both owed Harry and Rhaenys so much, they could never in any good conscience turn against them and Jon didn't want them too. He wanted it to stay as much a secret as possible, the fewer people that knew the less people would see an opportunity to seize power through him. A move that with some thought they supported, let Jon live his own life without the throne hanging over his head.

The two girls smiled as something else occurred to them, he had other things to worry about now.

 **-x-**

Jon sat down in a chair while Ygritte sat on the bed opposite him, neither spoke as they looked at each not knowing what to say. The abrupt announcement of her pregnancy had created an uncomfortable silent between them as the knowledge was absorbed with neither of them having really imagined having a family now faced with the reality of one. Jon had dreamed once of having children that he could raise with the love and affection he had been denied by some but it had always remained a dream.

Now however it was a very real thing, he was going to be a father and his first real love was going to be its mother.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Jon asked quietly, wondering why she had decided to keep it to herself only to blurt it out suddenly.

"How the fuck could I? With all the fucking stuff going on, I mean you went to look for a monster and came back with a dragon. How the fuck was I going to say it after that?" Ygritte snapped back at him, looking despite her attempts to look furious as scared as he was. He frowned and got to his feet, walking the short distance over to sit next to her. Neither of them could look each other in the eye as they sat there, unsure of what to say or do. Jon eventually put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him gently, she resisted slightly at first but soon leant into him trying to take some comfort in their closeness however far apart they felt.

"Do you want a boy or girl?" Jon asked, not sure where the strange question came from as he didn't care either way what sex the child was but he had to say something. Ygritte was a bit confused at the question but answered.

"I don't care, a boy like you or a girl like me, what's the difference? We'll all freeze when the Others come." Ygritte said as depression came upon her, if she even managed to survive giving birth and the babe survived with her, what chance did it have for survival once the Others found a way past the Wall? Given time they would find a way she thought with despair and that her child would die in her arms.

That produced an immediate reaction in Jon who stiffened and his gaze became hard, he tightened his hold on her and turned her head with surprising gentleness before telling her.

"That will never happen, if I have to track down the Night King and kill him myself I will not let him hurt you or our daughter." Jon said with such a firmness that Ygritte was taken aback, finding herself believing him however crazy it sounded. A small smile appeared on her lips as she managed to say with some small glimmer of hope.

"It might be son you know, a boy with hair and eyes like yours."

"Or a girl kissed by fire like you with a wicked smile and blue grey eyes." Jon responded with a smile now coming onto his face too. They were both now smiling at each other in a way they hadn't since the first time in the cave, a moment that seemed almost a lifetime ago now. There was a glimmer of hope in both their eyes now, maybe...just maybe they could raise this child perhaps it had a chance of living.

Ygritte lent in and gave him a kiss which he quickly returned, yes together they could do this.

* * *

 _ **Kings Landing, the Crownlands…**_

More and more men arrived every day to surround the capital of Westeros, now the Westerlands had bent the knee and the Crownlands had been conquered it stood as the last bastion of Cersei Lannister's rule.

Cersei Lannister was sitting on the Iron Throne, completely unaffected by the events happening outside it. The starving peasants and terrified nobles inside not even registering in her mind as she enjoyed what would soon be her last days in power. Three dragons could be seen flying close to the city and a vast array of siege engines had been set up around it, behind them tens of thousands of men ready to storm the city the moment the order was given.

She didn't care though.

All that was arrayed against her, it did not matter as if they were expecting her to simply surrender and cower...well they were going to be sorely disappointed. She had a sloop ready to speed her away from Kings Landing at the moment she was ready with a suitably large distraction, aboard was wealth she had looted from anywhere in the city she could. More than enough to leave and find somewhere she could either start again or just seek her revenge.

Qyburn was firmly telling the servants to handle his notes with care which honestly was amusing to her but she was basking in the surprise she had prepared for the usurpers, even the poor beggars she had paid to ensure it was done had no idea just what they were doing. Well at least it would tie up that loose end she thought, getting up from her throne and surrounded by her Queensguard made her way out of the throne room, leaving the fools that clung to her skirts to perish. What did it matter to her if they lived or died she thought with a dismissive arrogance? They were peasants in fine robes.

The black and red armour of her guards was fierce-some she thought, wondering briefly if they felt pain or any quite of sensation as when she had once stripped herself naked in front of them they had not reacted at all. Not even a slight movement of the head to look at her as she stood there naked in all her glory, she had done it to see if there was any reaction but nothing...it had been vaguely insulting but regardless at least it proved their single-minded devotion...just as Qyburn claimed. She could she decided find another man to suit her needs when they got to Essos.

She surrounded by her guards made her way to the waiting wheelhouse and climbed aboard, she sat completely relaxed as it rumbled its way down to the docks. All her possessions had already been loaded onto the ship, a fast one to dodge through the blockade that the Velaryons had set up and get her to Braavos where the Tyrells and all their lackeys could not touch her while she prepared for her revenge, yes she thought salivating at the many disgusting things she had dreamt up to unleash on her enemies. Oh she thought licking her lips with their sheer thrill of the horrors she had in store for them they would pay for ruining her schemes.

A short ride later and the wheelhouse arrived at dock where her ship was waiting, she gracefully exited the wheelhouse and took one last look at the city, saying to herself with a smirk.

"Let those fools rule over ashes."

 **-x-**

Harry and Randyll in their full armour were standing on the hill over looking the city, they both knew Cersei would never surrender but they had hoped some of the city guards might be wiser and open the gates for them but it seemed that they were being stubborn fools and resolutely kept the gates closed, maybe Harry thought grimly they were scared of what might be done to them once the walls were breached and preferred to try and delay the inevitable. A poor choice Harry thought with shake of his head.

Then his attention was stolen from thoughts of breaking down the gates by a loud bang echoing across the area. The horses were immediately spooked by the incredibly loud sound and their handles had to grab them firmly by the reins to stop them bolting especially as more bangs echoed across the area following the first very closely. The blasts were so loud that many shielded their ears as best they could before looking for the source of the explosions and from their position on the hill, Harry and Randyll could see it best.

Vast columns of smoke rose high into the sky as they saw blasts of green and orange spreading across the city, Harry was in complete shock at the sight of it never having seen anything like it in all his travels.

"Gods rest their souls." One soldier standing besides them, now in-between the blasts screams could now be heard as people burnt in the fires that erupted across the city or were crushed as buildings collapsed and rubble was thrown all over the place. The growing sense of horror spread as each person who could see what was happening realised the terrible fates being met by those inside, Harry now wishing he had attacked the city the day after he arrived as Lord Tarly suggested rather than take an extra day to prepare their assault so quickly he gave his order to the hypnotised men around him.

"GET THE SIEGE ENGINES FIRING! BREAK DOWN THE WALLS AND GATES!" His magic flowing into his voice with the emotion of the moment guiding it, making it so loud that the men instantly were broken from their horrified spell and did as they were told. Harry was desperate to open a path for the people trapped behind the walls so they might have a chance of escape, calling Talos to his side Harry wasted no time in climbing on the dragon's back. Randyll looking shocked at the display in front of him shook himself out of his stupor and asked.

"Your grace, what are you doing?"

Harry anger creeping into his voice as he secured himself quickly to the dragon's saddle answered his chief minister quickly.

"That whore Cersei Lannister is responsible for this! We need to break down the walls and gates to give those inside a chance of survival but the bitch loves herself too much to let herself die. She will be trying to escape and it will be easier to spot her from the air." Harry said before taking off without speaking another word.

Harry and Talos made their way around the city, avoiding the large plums of smoke as best they could, seeing the people struggling below to escape brought a lump to his throat and only increased his rage, his eyes scanning the area for any sign of the Lannister bitch that had caused all this pain and suffering. As he came over the harbour he saw a single ship sailing out and away from the city, maybe it was just people trying to escape the destruction Harry thought briefly but then again maybe not. He guided Talos in a steep and fast dive straight towards the ship when a bolt from a scorpion missed them, that instantly angered him more and with his dragon's eyes, Harry could see the blonde whore standing on the deck smirking in triumph at what she had done and his blood boiled.

 **-x-**

That smirk disappeared as she realised the bolt had missed and that a dragon was diving straight towards the ship at very high speed, her terror as the beast came closer and she screamed as it pulled up at the last possible moment and hung there for a moment before its tail wrapped itself around her and before she knew what was happening it took off again...taking her with it. She screamed as the deck of the ship vanished from under her feet and she found herself suspended in the air with only the dragon's tail keeping her from falling to her death. The sight of the ship and water beneath her was terrifying but then she was forced to witness the power of a dragon.

The bronze coloured beast opened a mouth so enormous that it would have swallowed a man whole and the most incredible blast of fire erupted from its mouth, even held away from the mouth by the tail she felt her skin being scolded by the intense heat. The boat however fared far worse than she did as it was blasted in half by the immense power of the dragon flame.

Cersei's eyes went wide, she had grown up hearing about the great power of dragons and their exploits but never had she imagined seeing it with her own two eyes.

She watched the ship burn and start to sink with all her remaining followers as the dragon flew off, pulling her with it. The wind was very uncomfortable as it whipped around her, the constant movement of the tail making her stomach near revolt on her till she felt the dragon release her and the ground as she hit it, her arm hurting from the hard impact.

She struggled quickly to her feet, trying to ascertain where she was when she saw a flash red light and knew nothing more.

 **-x-**

Harry looked down at the unconscious form of Cersei and glared at it, he saw the men coming over and told them.

"Secure her! She will answer for this massacre soon enough!" Harry said before running back up the hill and saw to his relief that Randyll had not wasted time and had the siege engines firing away at the gates and where the walls were the thinnest, trying to break them down so those inside could escape. Thankfully the gates they targeted finally gave way and a broke open, men, women and children could be seen fleeing the city in every direction. Some of them might be Cersei loyalists but they had the bitch herself Harry thought, the lackeys could be dealt with later if they started causing trouble.

"The fire is uncontrollable your grace." Randyll said as he approached with a grim look. "It was designed to be so."

"Too spread out to be contained and with all so many buildings packed together, impossible to pull down enough to stop it. We can only wait for it to burn itself out." Harry said with weariness as he realised there was nothing he could do. His strength with Chroyane water magic was not so great that he could command enough water to flood the city and as he said before this fire had been purposefully designed in where it was started to be uncontainable, so normal practices would not work.

He looked at the crowds of refugees fleeing the city and frowned before ordering.

"Set up a camp over near those hills for the people, we may have the greatest humanitarian crisis in all of Westeros history on our hands...we need to know how many people have survived, how many we have to care for." Harry told Randyll who grimly nodded in agreement, thousands maybe tens of thousands were now homeless without even a roof over their head or food to eat, worse it was the eve of winter and soon the weather would become extremely cold with no protection from the wind which would make it even harsher. Man of them would surely perish if they couldn't think of a solution in time to implement it.

 **-x-**

Rhaenys and Oberyn arrived later that evening and their eyes went wide as they saw the fierce inferno that had gripped the city, the setting sun made the sky become a dazzling orange. All of them stood as darkness came but the night was lit up by the fire which cast long shadows over the area all around the city. The flames were so large and hot the heat and ash was being blown by the wind straight into their camp, they had had to move any hay or oil or any other really flammable material as far away as they could to stop them igniting.

"I knew she was vicious but never did I imagine she would be this cruel or destructive." Oberyn said with unwilling awe, even in all his travels he had never seen anything like this. The sight of the city burning in front of them was stirring a very unsettled feeling in all of them, the sheer scale of the blaze was more than any of them had ever imagined in their worst nightmares.

"Our men did a count." Harry told them grimly. "Only a hundred thousand or so got out before the flames trapped them inside and of that number many are suffering burns or other such wounds a fair few will not survive the night, the rest burnt with the city."

"Only a hundred thousand!" Rhaenys said with horror, it sounded like a lot but even with their earlier recruitment drives from the city, Kings Landing had (with the influx of refugees from the wars) a population of over half a million people. Somewhere in the area of over four hundred thousand people were dead, it was she realised with sadness the greatest single loss of life in the history of Westeros. Even most wars were not this destructive!

"Cersei Lannister must be punished for this your grace." Randyll said, stoic in the face of such horror.

"Execution is too good for her." Oberyn said viciously, as tempting as it was to run her through with his spear it would be far too merciful for something as bad as this.

"I have something planned, men have been preparing it for a while." Harry told them, a short while after arriving he had sent a group of men to a scouting for caves around the area and after they had confirmed one that had suited his purpose he had wiped their memories and spent a day or so thanks to a time turner preparing it. He had even added something of his own which would ensure that Cersei would never be able to forget what she had done.

* * *

 _ **Five Days Later…**_

Five days.

That was how long it had taken for the fire to burn itself out…leaving what had been the largest and most important city in the Westeros a burnt, smoking cinder. The ruin was a maze of collapsed walls, piles of scorched brick and earth all around. A chaotic jumble that rendered the entire city unrecognisable, few buildings were intact and of those many were too unstable to salvaged.

The city was a complete loss.

The Red Keep had fared considerably better, the outer walls and a favourable wind had kept the flames from reaching the keep and by large there would be little repair work needed, so it was decided to hold the trial of Cersei Lannister there…a final insult to the woman that had committed the greatest crime in the history of the Seven Kingdoms.

Men had to clear a path through the ruins of Kings Landing to ensure they could approach the Red Keep and thankfully the people inside the citadel had surrendered without a fight, processing them most had been imprisoned or released depending on who they were. This was however far from Harry or Rhaenys' minds as they finally entered the throne room of the Red Keep and saw the Iron Throne. Harry had of course seen it before and in the past so had Rhaenys but now it seemed to be far bigger and far more imposing than either of them had thought before. Taking each other's hand as if to seek comfort they walked up the steps together and seeing as there was only room for one person Harry sat first, while Rhaenys perched herself on his lap careful to avoid cutting herself on the sharpened edges.

Seeing this Harry said.

"We will have to get a second throne made for you, as nice as it is having you in my lap it would be distracting while we hold court." Harry told his wife and queen with small smile. She returned it before saying.

"Perhaps we should have the Iron Throne reforged into something more...attractive?" Rhaenys said struggling to find the right word, something that represented all the kingdoms that they commanded rather than an ugly monument to a conquest that had taken place more than three hundred years ago.

Harry nodded his agreement, they would have more than enough time for it. Since the city was destroyed and the Red Keep not exactly practical until the city that supported it was rebuilt Highgarden would become the temporary capital for the realm. It had been the capital of the Reach for centuries and was central enough, not to mention having the necessary facilities for their court.

"We can do far more than just reforge a throne though." Rhaenys said, deciding to mention the thoughts that had occurred to her while looking at the ruins. "Kings Landing was not a well planned city, it grew too fast without any thought to the future or for the lives of those that lived there. Not to mention none of the kings that ruled it cared to try and address the problems that came with such growth."

Harry nodded having thought the same thing himself and said.

"We will find architects to rebuild the city better than before, put a better sewer system in place, better housing and better facilities for commerce. From the ashes of the old, a new city will rise."

It was an exciting idea and one they would only speak of in private like this, work would begin soon on rebuilding the city while the refugees would be sheltered in the temporary tents until something more permanent could be arranged...but first there was the matter of Cersei's trial.

 **-x-**

 _ **The Following Day…**_

The throne room was more busy than it had been for ages with nobles from all corners of Westeros attending the trial; many Stormlands, Reach and Dornish nobles attended but also representatives of the North, Riverlands, Iron Islands and the Vale. The houses of the Westerlands that had joined them in the recent war also stood to witness the event. They sat on bleachers around the edges of the room while Cersei was chained the centre of the floor for all to see.

"Cersei of House Lannister." Lord Tarly said as he read the charges to the room. "You stand accused of incest, mass murder, the destruction of Kings Landing, the murder of Robert Baratheon, Loras Tyrell and even those of your own family. Theft of the Iron Throne from its rightful rulers, fraud and many other crimes. You may enter a plea as is your right and seek counsel."

While the entire court looked on to see her answer, Cersei herself just glared at all of them without any fear or even said a word. A mummer went through the room as this woman, forced into a rough cotton dress and stripped of all her finery just stood there and glared at them all like they were irritating little bugs that she was just unable to squash. Harry who sat on the throne, Oberyn who sat to his right and Lord Royce who had joined as an impartial third all looked at her with contempt, even now she could not show any decency.

As witnesses were called to give testimony Cersei stood there, looking bored and uninterested in whatever they were saying however damning or disgusting. Much of the court were already aware of most of the details but the nastier elements had more than a few looking nauseous and in a few cases actually were violently sick.

After the third day Harry and Rhaenys talked about Cersei's lack of caring.

"Either she acknowledges that the game is up and that she is going to die or she is so far gone that she doesn't care any more." Rhaenys said as she got ready for bed, Harry nodded in agreement.

"Then either way we need to break her resolve."

"Good thing you had that trump card brought up, if that doesn't shake her, nothing will." Rhaenys said as she climbed into bed, Harry got in beside her and they both settled down to sleep. On any other night they might have had some fun but they needed to get some sleep so they were fully alert for tomorrow.

 **-x-**

As the court gathered for the fourth and final day of the trial, the judges took their places and Cersei stood in the dock just as before, utterly uninterested in everything that was going on around her. The judges however all had a small smile on their faces except Lord Royce who was unaware of what Harry and Oberyn had planned to break Cersei.

Harry stood up once all the nobles had gathered to speak, only doing so once he had made sure that he had their complete attention.

"Over the last few days we have heard evidence or Cersei Lannister's crimes from many different people but now it is time before a verdict is reached that a very important person to this case has a chance to speak, someone who has a unique insight into the accused. Lord Tarly, bring the witness in.

Many were on tenterhooks to see just who they had called to speak, Cersei herself looked only vaguely interested thinking it was just going to be some hack they had hired.

However Cersei gasped visibly when the doors to the throne room opened and in dressed in her Dornish finery Myrcella walked in. Most of the room was taken-aback at two things; one the sudden appearance of Cersei's sole remaining child and second her visible similarities to her mother. Myrcella had the same glorious golden hair, emerald green eyes and now the same shapely but graceful figure as her mother at that age, those that had seen her as a child were surprised at the transformation and considered Trystane Martell a very lucky man for two reasons. Firstly because of Myrcella's stunning beauty and second because even now her eyes and expression completely lacked the sheer viciousness or conceit of Cersei. They showed her courage and her intelligence, but also her compassion warming many to her before she even spoke a word.

Cersei tried to catch her daughter's eyes, she was suddenly elated at the sight of her. She had thought Myrcella had been killed by the Dornish, a rumour had reached her to that effect but suddenly after losing both her boys her girl was here and alive…looking more like her every day Cersei also noticed with pride. Lannisters were always beautiful...well except Tyrion she thought with venom and Myrcella was growing up to be her greatest work, a mirror image of herself.

The sight of Jaime at her side too warmed her heart, he had bothered to risk going to Dorne to save their daughter she thought with great relief. If so then she was all the more grateful to him, keeping their greatest treasure safe.

However the smile fell from her lips when she noticed that neither of them were looking at her, in fact they seemed to be looking everywhere in the room but at her. Confusion and annoyance quickly took root.

Myrcella took the witness stand and her face she noticed was not happy to be home in the castle that she had been born and raised in, but instead deeply uncomfortable and anxious. She saw Jaime put a comforting hand on her shoulder and Myrcella seemed to strengthen but what was making her daughter so unsettled Cersei wondered? Suddenly it came to her with a dawning feeling of foolishness, she was worried for her mother. That brought a warm feeling to her small rotten heart.

"Please state your name for the record please." Lord Tarly said to Myrcella sternly, the young princess took a calming breath before answering his request.

"Myrcella Baratheon, daughter of Robert and Cersei." She told the court, knowing full well that it wasn't true but she had been reassured that they were not interested in proving her true bastard status. It was her mother they wanted and she would be free to marry Trystane...not that she needed that incentive to speak Myrcella thought to herself with anger.

She would have spoken if she had to walk all the way here from Dorne in her bare feet, clamber over the ruins of Kings Landing and storm her way single handed into the Red Keep.

"Your grace, my lords and ladies." Myrcella said with a respectful nod to all of them, looking with first towards Harry as he sat on the Iron Throne before she spoke.

"I was sent to Dorne by my uncle Tyrion at a time when it looked very much like Stannis Baratheon would kill myself and the rest of my family, it was at first very frightening to me to be in such a strange country and one where my family is so hated but there I found the man I love with all my heart. For that I am thankful." She said with a smile but seeing some people of the court were looking annoyed at her speaking about things of no consequence to these proceedings including Lord Tarly and quickly added. "This is important I swear my lords but please I beg your patience to finish." Myrcella said with a pleading look and Lord Tarly looked to Harry who nodded slowly, allowing her to continue. Myrcella gave him a grateful nod before speaking again.

"I had lived my entire life in my mother's care, she thinks she could hide all of the things she did from me but I heard everything, I heard her call for the death of a newborn pair of twins merely because they were my father's bastards, she slept with many other men behind my father's back and so many things that honestly made me sick." Myrcella said her voice becoming heated as years of resentment and hatred started pouring out.

Cersei suddenly lost her smile as she realised the true reason Myrcella was here, not to speak on her behalf...instead she was speaking against her. Horror as she saw her own child, the sole survivor of her three turn against her.

"I hated Joffrey, all he did his entire life was torment me and Tommen while she did nothing always finding excuses for him. When he died I didn't mourn, in fact I was relieved that he was no longer going to be there to haunt me. But then my brother Tommen, my sweet and loving baby brother was put on the throne by her and grandfather. She drove him to suicide by forcing him to bare a weight he couldn't handle and killing well over a thousand people because she could never share power or solve a problem she created without violence. That is all she knows, violence. It is all she understands. Do what you will with her because she is no mother of mine." Myrcella said tears now running down her face as the pain as she collapsed into sobs, the pain of losing her baby brother coming back with full force and Jaime put a comforting arm around her and led her out of the room.

Cersei would have snarled at someone speaking about her like that at any other day, but that it was her own daughter saying it seemed to rob her of the ability to speak or even think, the entire court looked at her with contempt and Harry with eyes of stone turned to Oberyn and then to Lord Royce. Both men gave him a nod and Harry returned it before getting up to speak.

"Cersei of House Lannister, it is the findings of this court that you are guilty of all charges. The sheer volume of crimes you have committed has me of the mind that you are to be imprisoned for all time...execution would be too much of a mercy. No one shall know where, I would not risk your escape." Harry said with a vicious look in his eyes, there was a howl of anger from the court that she would not be killed but she would not be a problem any more.

Not with what he had in mind.

 **-x-**

 _ **Location Unknown…**_

Cersei was screaming bloody murder as she banged on the cage where she had woken up in, she remembered going to sleep in the Black Cells and then waking up in this cave inside this giant bird cage with HARRY FUCKING TYRELL just staring at her.

"I WILL KILL YOU! YOUR WHORE! ALL YOUR BASTARD CHILDREN! I WILL KILL YOU PAINFULLY AND SMILE AS YOU BEG FOR DEATH!" She screeched at him from inside the bars, the torches on the wall cast long shadows making it seem very eerie but Harry just stood there impassively as she screeched.

When she had finally run out of breath Harry finally got to explain her punishment, wondering if he was going too far with this but given the poison this woman had inside and spewed on everything around her it was the harshest he could think of. He cast a silencing spell on her to stop her speaking over him.

"You have killed so many people, caused incredible destruction and will no doubt go down in history as a great villain so congratulations on securing immortality or is infamy I sometimes get those mixed up." Harry told her with a cold mocking drawl that actually made her finch, reminding her of her father for a moment before Harry turned his attention to the cage she was locked in.

"This cage was made from pure gold by the Valyrians to imprison the last prince of the Chroyane, fitting for a Lannister to be imprisoned in such a thing but I digress. They inscribed runes on it and when he finally died it was no escape...it actually trapped his soul inside it for centuries after his death. It took a long time to disarm the magic and release him but not half that to recharge the runes, the power I put into them will last around four hundred years or so. After that the magic will fade and your nasty little soul will finally be able to move on but until then you will feel every single second, every minute, every hour, every day, every week, every moon, every year, every century as it passes. It will drive you mad with no escape from the demons in your mind, no one but me knows you are here and without food or water you might last a week but no more, dehydration and starvation are such terrible ways to die. Enjoy eternity Cersei." Harry said before turning around and walked into the shadows as Cersei, still unable to speak desperately screamed silently and hammered as hard as she could on the cage in a vain attempt to break it.

Then just as Harry planned, the rocks in the passage he had disappeared down fell, blocking the chamber off and the sudden gust blew out the few torches casting the room into darkness.

Cersei was left alone in the darkness, she finally recovered her voice as the spell wore off but no one heard her screams and as the enormity of the situation hit her she screamed again in anguish but there was no one to hear it and there never would be as four centuries of imprisonment and torment began.

* * *

 _ **Highgarden, the Reach...**_

Harry was disturbed in some ways at how ruthless he had been too Cersei, while he was not really bothered about killing Cersei and handing her four centuries of imprisonment before she could finally move on. The bitch in his mind deserved no mercy but what worried him was that he had been the one to do something like that.

When had he become so ruthless? It had started as him fighting against people like that, if he killed it was always quick or clean hadn't it? No he thought leaning back against the wall, he had broken the minds of two men in Volantis and ordered mass exterminations but at the time had seemed like the most sensible thing to do.

It unsettled him slight, even the gentle hand of Rhaenys as she noticed his inner uncertainty failed to ease his thoughts and she asked.

"What is it? We won, the Lannisters are gone, our children are as safe as they can be in this world and now we can start rebuilding the country." She said, stroking his arm in a soothing motion, Harry looked to her with unease before asking.

"Did we defeat the Lannisters and those we hated? Or have we become them? The things we've done to get here and no doubt we are going to have to a lot more of that to stay in power." Harry said with genuine worry, Rhaenys responded by punching him on the arm and looking exasperated.

"Don't be stupid! You and I never wanted any of this, we were pushed towards this by those types of people. We have done what we had too for the betterment of everyone and now at last we have the power to make real change, a new dawn that we can direct. We took the throne to protect our children and save people from a mad harpy, gaining and having power is not nearly as important as what you do with it. Your first actions when you knew what Cersei had done to Kings Landing was to break down the gates so people could escape and then you had our troops care for those survivors. That tells me all I need to know about you and your morals." She said.

Harry sighed as a small smile appeared on his face, feeling a little easier for hearing her faith in him. With that he took her in his arms and held her tight as they took comfort in each other now they were faced with this new reality of their royal status. Looking to the yard below was evidence of that, Kanoro the newly chosen Master of the Royal Guards was drilling the thirty men that had been chosen for their service in the war. They had decided that instead of the traditional seven member Kingsguard, a larger force would be necessary to protect their family, signing a magical contract to ensure their loyalty once they joined.

There was still a lot of work to be done they both knew that but at that moment, things at last felt stable.

Safe.

Only in the Far North, an ancient danger stirred.

* * *

 _Thank you for reading this chapter, please review to let me know what you thought. I am eager to hear what you all felt about it._

 _Castles and who got them:_

 _ **Westerlands...**_

 _Casterly Rock/ Lannisport – Gunthor Hightower (New Lord Paramount and Warden of the West)_

 _Cornfield – Ser Archibald Yronwood_

 _Silverhill – Mark Mullendore_

 _Deep Den – Ulwyck Uller_

 _Golden Tooth – Richard Lonmouth_

 _Hornvale – Garth Hightower_

 _Tarbeck Hall (Lands) - House Crakehall_

 _Oxcross – Myles Mandwoody_

 _Sarsfield – Rickard Rowan_

 _Banefort – House Farman_

 _Ashemark – House Westerling_

 _Feastfires – House Kenning of Kayce_

 _Wyndhall – Hyle Hunt_

 _Castamere (Lands) – House Westerling_

 _ **Crownlands…**_

 _Rosby & Brindlewood – Daena Baelerys_

 _Dyre Den – Alyn Estermont_

 _Antlers – Balon Swann_

 _Stokeworth – Haron Blackbar_

 _Claw Isle & Crackclaw Point – Aeron Velaryon_

 _Sweetport Sound – Bonifer Hasty_

 _Duskendale – Vortimer Crane_

 _Hayford – Daemon Sand_

 _Massey's Hook – House Velaryon_

 _Stonedance – Horace Mertyn_

 _Brownhollow – Cortnay Penrose_

 _ **Next Chapter –**_ _Harry finally confronts the White Walkers and will need all the help he can get._


	34. Chapter 34 Winter's War Part 1

_**Disclaimer** : I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones._

 _First off, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to those who celebrate it. I would have had this up sooner but getting ready for Christmas has really slowed me down. I am sorry to say that the next chapter will be the finale of Swords and Roses, it has been a fun story to write but all good things come to an end. I will post the next chapter in the new year._

 _I have a few new projects in the pipeline including a story set during the Dance of Dragons so hopefully it should not be long before I start posting._

 _Thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter, reading them brightened the day._

 **Chapter 34 – Winter's War Part 1**

 _ **Two Months later, Outside the Ruin of Kings Landing…**_

The rubble of Kings Landing was as depressing a sight as it had been to those that had seen the city burn to nothing but a large area was now starting to team with life again as a large number of tents stretched out across the area. Palisade walls stood around the edge of the camp to provide some protection for the tens of thousands who had decided to stay until the city was rebuilt. Many had left to seek shelter from the winter and a new life further south or across the Narrow Sea if they could manage it. Those that were staying however were determined to see 'their' city restored and daily worked to clear the rubble from the area and salvage useable stone to begin the work on rebuilding the city specifically more hard wearing and protective homes for them. Supply shipments from the south coming by either ship or land convoys to keep them warm and fed while the work continued and likely would for years.

 **-x-**

 _ **Highgarden, the Reach…**_

Harry sat at the head of the table in the New Small Council Chamber, listening intently to the man sitting at the other end.

"The gold has been deposited and the Iron Bank is happy to declare the debt owed by the Iron Throne paid in full." Tycho Nestoris spoke with calm authority and slight smile on his face. Their silent partner had certainly risen high he thought and the recent payment of four million gold dragons to the Iron Bank had made that all the sweeter. He and the rest of the Iron Bank had been instantly aware of the chance of the profit to be gained in the reconstruction of Kings Landing and had only been too happy to agree to provide funds for the rebuilding process which was likely given the size of the project to go on for years, maybe a decade or maybe even more than that. "The gold will be paid in intervals and can be negotiated on if necessary, repayment will be sought as the work come to an end."

"Then that is a matter settled." Harry said with a nod, unless he depleted his own private stash (which would raise questions about where the gold had come from) rebuilding the capital was going to be hugely expensive and prolonged given how big of a job it was. So he had arranged for the Iron Bank to loan them the money in smaller amount that they could pay slowly as the work continued to keep the interest low. The result was a long lasting source of income for the Iron Bank and more funds to get the city to rebuild the city quicker.

Harry got to his feet and walked over to shake Tycho's hand with the other man meeting him half way, the two of them shook hands firmly and Tycho took his leave, eager to return to Braavos and put their latest enterprise into motion. Harry watched him leave before sighing slightly, knowing he had to meet with the new Small Council about the state of things in Westeros and then talk with Rhaenys about the various architects that had come forward with ideas for the new Kings Landing and not just the buildings but a sewer system had been called for and docks too. It was going to take days to get through them all.

And on top of that but the only real bright spark of the day was at last he would get to meet his nephew as Margaery was coming to Highgarden so she and their grandmother could meet Little Loras at last.

So it was going to be a long day he thought wearily.

 **-x-**

The Small Council met slightly less than half an hour later, to Harry's right was Randyll who sat in pride of place as Hand of the King, while they looked around the table at the men they had selected to rule the realm with them. Kanoro as leader of the Royal Guard sat on Harry's left easily implying their importance and the trust that the King had in them.

Humfrey Hightower, the youngest of Gunthor's brothers sat in the chair of the Master of Coin. He was a thin and sticky man but with an aptitude for numbers that had made him think he was only ever going to be a Steward for his father and brother. He was a quiet man but firm in his loyalty.

In the seat of the Master of Laws was Ser Clifford Swann, a nephew of Lord Gulian Swann he was not likely to inherit any castle or title but he knew his duty and as a former squire of Ser Alyn Estermont was steadfast in this loyalty to the crown. He was a stern man of thirty years but could occasionally be roused to humour.

The Grandmaester's seat was now held by Maester Marwyn, an older man of fifty he was recommended by Alwyn who had been his student as Alwyn much preferred to stay in the Islands and work on his experiments than attend court. Marwyn also known as the Mage for his dabbles into magic had more links in his chain around his neck than any maester Harry had ever seen and knew more than Alwyn ever pledged to know. He smiled jovially to his king which Harry returned albeit more restrained.

The Master of Whispers was not really the appropriate title to give to the person sitting in that seat, Zara smirked at them all as she controlled their spy network which she was continuously.

The final member was Ser Corlys Velaryon, a cousin of the house and named for his famous ancestor who had sailed the world and built High Tide castle. He was smiling as he sat there, pleasant enough but on the sea that he had been raised on Corlys knew everything there was to know about sailing and ships in general. While there was no royal fleet at the moment they could call on the combined navies of various houses and there was the matter of putting to together plans for rebuilding the crown's own fleet to attend too.

"So is there any issues with any remaining Lannister loyalists?" Harry asked turning to each member of the council and Randyll answered.

"A few knights that ran away before the castles were stormed have attempted to drum up support for a rebellion but after a demonstration of the crown's power they remain isolated and without any kind of support." Randyll told him and Zara then added what information she had.

"They've been trying to contact other lords to get funding but most are being arrested the moment they ask. The other lords are not keen to bring the wrath of House Tyrell down on their families." Zara said calmly and Harry nodded, fear had its uses he thought solemnly although he would never end a family without a very strong reason.

"Preparations for winter?" Harry asked his people, it was Marwyn that answered.

"The war has not helped matters since we have no true idea just how long this winter is going to be, but we have enough food stored for five years. The camp in Kings Landing's ruins is going to have an issue if the roads become impassible." Marwyn told them and Harry nodded and not for the first time considered forcing them to move to a more warmer climate till winter had passed but sighed as he realised that short of holding them prisoner they would escape and return to the city if not resist outright.

Never underestimate the power of human stubbornness, he was a prime example of that.

 **-x-**

While Harry was dealing with the logistical issues of making sure their kingdom ran smoothly, Rhaenys was attending to her own personal project...find the right people to rebuilt Kings Landing.

The small hall that belonged to the Lady of the castle hence hers now was covered as designs submitted by different architects, showing their different visions for the rebuilt city in the hopes of getting the impressive commission being offered. Her eyes moved over the various images and some honestly made her scoff, they were so elaborate and gaudy that only in places like Qarth would you see something like them. One man had made the entire city a mere extension of the Red Keep with pyramids all over the places covered in statues of dragons and other majestic beasts. She shook her head, some people really need to listen and read better, we did say it was a city we need to build not expand a castle.

She then took a look at a design sent by a Braavosi man, his buildings looked interesting with a great deal of attention to detail and the sewer design looked both practical and efficient to build and maintain. The houses were laid out in an ordered grid system and the docks were far more able to handle a large number of ships than the old ones had been. Suitably elaborate but not overtly so while also being sturdy and practical.

This was promising she thought and wanted to invite this man to Highgarden so they could discuss his ideas in more detail but before she could go to the table in the room to write the message her goodsister Margaery entered with a bundle in her arms.

"Found a good architect yet?" She asked with a smile, sounding far more upbeat than she had been in a while. Maybe part of that was being back in Highgarden but more Rhaenys suspected was due to the presence of the baby in her arms, Rhaenys smiled as they came closer any problems between the two of them was forgotten as they peered at the baby in her arms. Little Loras was sleeping but he was a cute enough Rhaenys thought although she was hopelessly biased towards her own children. Currently they were with Caelys practising Valyrian though and were somewhat still confused as people addressed them as 'your grace'...their new royal status not having hit home yet.

"This one from Braavos shows promise." Rhaenys said pointing to the images in question. Lady Olenna sat sampling some cheese in the corner smiled as she approached, looking at the bundle in Margaery's arms and giving a brief smile at her latest great-grandson.

However they were broken from this tender moment by the sight of her husband coming in the door with a letter in his hand, he had a happy expression as he came up to them and placed a kiss on their cheeks before smiling at young Loras but Rhaenys as only a wife would noticed a tightening around his eyes.

Whatever was in the letter had him worried….very worried she amended at the way he held both her and Margaery closer and tighter than he normally would when embracing them.

* * *

 _ **The Wall, the North…**_

A flock of ravens soared over the Wall, going past it to the empty white expanse beyond. There was nothing for awhile except the forest that still had not regrown after the fire set by the wildlings when they had attacked the Wall awhile ago…but miles later as they came to a frozen lake a dark mass appeared beneath them. At closer inspection you could see the enormous mass of what looked like people and animals massing on the lake's frozen surface, all stumbling forward like puppets under the direction of their masters, a group on horses with flesh stripped from their bones in some places and rotting slowly due to the extreme cold riding either at the head of the enormous column or at the centre.

The Night King, leading his Army of the Dead looked up as if sensing the ravens above him were more than mere birds, he did not sneer, smile or make any kind of expression on his grey and seemingly lifeless face. So he kept his army marching forward until they came to the barrier that had been his bane for thousands of years beyond which was the world of the living and one that he would snuff out.

 **-x-**

At Winterfell, Bran using the Weirwood in his ancestral home's godwood looked at the approaching army and grimaced at the sight of it. Not only did the sheer size of it but the fact it was made up of animated corpses that would kill on the command of the ageless demonic creature that had dared usurp their rest to kill more people and add them to his undead horde as well. The sight of the creature himself was enough to make Bran fearful...hoping that the letter he and his family had sent to Highgarden had reached it by now. The War for the Dawn was about to start again and this time it was anyone's guess who would win it.

* * *

 _ **Highgarden, the Reach…**_

The letter was in Rhaenys' hand as she watched her husband getting his armour on, not his usual suit but the Valyrian steel one he had acquired in Valyria which was far more like the traditional knight's armour that Westerosi knights wore to protect more of their body at the cost of some movement. She was quiet and her lip trembling slightly.

"Why do you have to go?" She finally asked him, why couldn't her half brother handle it she thought with anger. Why when everything seemed to be going right for them did they have to bring this up? It was not just that her husband was once again off to war but what he was fighting against. After he had told her of the Three Eyed Raven's warning she had read up on the White Walkers and even those dusty moth eaten books had been enough to make her sweat. "Why not let others go for a change? Why does it have to be you?" She asked with her eyes watering slightly.

"Because I can fight." Harry said as he turned to face her, his expression grim as he knew full well what was waiting for them in the North. "What is coming cares nothing for money or power, only to kill everything that lives. If we want to survive then everyone that can fight must and I can do more than most." Harry told her, he had sent out at call for volunteers to go up North to fight the walkers, offering ten gold dragons in payment to each man. Many had actually turned the offer down as the legend of the walkers scared many off or they did not want to journey to such a cold and inhospitable land especially with winter coming but around five thousand men had joined the crusade. Now armed with a crossbow each that could fire arrows and an ironwood spear tipped with dragonglass they were sailing to White Harbour. That was not much of a fighting force but it was better than nothing.

"And what if you don't come back?" Rhaenys asked now feeling a deep rooted fear that this would be the last moment they had together, Harry sensing his wife's worries came over and enveloped her in a hug.

"I will be coming back." Harry told her, with a surprising amount of certainty that he was not sure he felt himself. "But I cannot ask men to do something I wouldn't do myself, how would they view us if I sat here while men died to save my throne. I would be no better than Joffrey." He said, the mad boy had not lifted a finger for anything but his own enjoyment even as men fought and died to keep him on the throne.

Rhaenys buried her head in his chest and he just held her, taking comfort from each other as they approached what could be the hardest fight of their lives.

 **-x-**

In ports around Westeros men boarded ships that would carry them north to join with Harry for the confrontation with the White Walkers. Some had come thinking it was nothing more than superstition but were glad to take the money, other joined because they wanted to travel and a few joined so they would not be a burden to their families in the coming winter.

In one port in the Reach, a tall and well built man boarded the ship alongside Samwell Tarly and his woman Gilly wearing a cloak to disguise his identity. He lowered it once the ship had sailed and the now slightly bearded face of Jorah Mormont appeared, would he knew need to put it back on once he reached the North. There was little chance of being recognised in the south but in the North he was well known enough to be recognised, he had intended to return to his Khaleesi the moment he was cured of his affliction but he had then heard of the rise of the White Walkers in the Far North and in his heart knew his homeland was facing the greatest danger in its history, his family were in danger.

He could not turn his back and walk away.

Going home would mean almost certain death but 'Here We Stand' meant more than just we will not move, to the Mormonts it meant regardless of the risks they would stand their ground and face the danger without fear of death, that come what may they would do the right thing whatever the cost.

He had not heeded those words and paid for it, he had lost his castle, lost his family...lost himself even Jorah thought sadly remembering a time when he had been a man of honour and integrity, respected across the North and especially the proud day that his father Jeor had handed the reins of power over to him when joining the Nights Watch saying he was leaving their house in the best hands.

A father that had died thinking him nothing more than a slaver and a coward.

The mere idea of it brought so much shame to Jorah that he hung his head, wishing for a moment that he had never even gone to fight in the Greyjoy Rebellion...never become a knight...never met Lynesse.

He took a steadying sip of ale from his wineskin to settle his nerves, if he did one thing right in this world it would be defending his homeland in its darkest hour and if he died then he could deal with that he thought. Better him than his cousins he thought remembering the girls that they had been and wondering what sort of women they had become in Dacey's case or were becoming in Lyanna's. They would not want to see him he realised with a pang of regret, not with the situation he had left them in paying his debts and baring the shame he had brought on their house but he would like to see them at least once he thought.

To know they were alright.

* * *

 _ **Winterfell, the North…**_

The North had become even colder since he had last been here, Harry hadn't thought that possible but wrapped up in his furs which was thankfully layered with warming charms he hardly felt it. The wind probably wasn't helping the temperature though Harry thought as Talos fought the cold winds to approached the ancient castle. Grimacing as he touched down outside the castle he saw that the Starks had lined up to greet him and the moment he dismounted they all knelt in the snow. Harry hid his frown though and came up to Sansa, Arya and Jon. Talos immediately saw the nearby Caralys, Jon's dragon and stared at her intently. They all looked at the dragons stare each other down but then they took to the skies and started racing each other around the local area. Through the bond he had with his dragon could feel the joy and metaphorical thumping of the chest, he was trying to impress a female, Harry was almost amused but had other things to deal with.

"Rise Ladies Stark, Lord Snowstark." Harry said with formality in each word before turning to see the Karstark boy Sansa had married looking at him with awe which made him realised how well Sansa had chosen her husband, strong and brave from a noble family but someone she could easily dominate. Just like grandmother Harry thought with amusement and shook their hands before he went to the main solar where he and the Starks could talk, Bran was waiting in his wheeled chair and smiled distantly at him not having been in the courtyard due to the chair and could not kneel. The faraway look was somewhat unsettling to him but they had more important things to discuss so they settled around the table but they only started talking when the door was firmly locked and Harry silently cast a privacy spell.

"So do we know how many they are and where?" Harry asked getting straight down to business. Bran answered with an airy kind of voice.

"Tens of thousands of wights that are marching closer to the Wall."

Harry looked at him as did the rest of the Starks expecting more information but seeing no more was coming Harry turned to the rough map that had been prepared of Beyond the Wall.

"Well I have five thousand volunteers armed with dragonglass weapons on their way here and the way I see it the wights are the real problem. They swarm people without any pain or hesitation and that is what will get people killed however dangerous the walkers themselves are. We know wights are vulnerable to fire so perhaps if Jon and I use the dragons we can burn away their army, without the wights the Walkers are far less of a threat." Harry suggested, seeing that as the most sensible form of action. Jon nodded having thought of this too but just as Arya and Sansa were giving the slightest of nods to signal their agreement when Bran suddenly interrupted.

"NO!" He said his voice very firm and insistent which surprised them all given how detached he had seemed before, his eyes now focused on them and shockingly alert. Bran's mind thinking on the vision he had received of a possible future, three dragons circling the Army of the Dead and burning them away before the Night King killed one with a spear and then brought it under his control as a wight. How it burnt the Wall down and allowed the Army of the Dead to enter the North and while the silver haired woman was not here the point still remained...use dragons and their last barrier will fall.

"The Dragons are not safe from the Night King, he can kill them easily and then bring them back as wights which can burn down the Wall." Bran told them.

The looks of depression that came over all four of the other people in the room was like a dark cloud had descended on the room, their best weapons was too vulnerable to use against the walkers.

"That leaves a field battle against the Wights and the Walkers, a swarm of undead that can cut through men like wheat and for everyone they kill their numbers grow. I really do not want to have to commit to that kind of fight." Harry told them massaging his temples as his original plan went out the window. The reason he had not call the banners and marched all the armies of Westeros here was that he had imagined using the dragons to get rid of the Wights and then use their specially armed force of volunteers to overwhelm the Walkers with sheer numbers. His anger blossomed as he started pacing.

Jon and Arya both looked to each other and now looked anxious themselves at the battle they were now presented with, Sansa meanwhile looked with worry to Harry and asked.

"Your grace you have magic, there must be some spell or potion that can help us?" She said hoping that although her own exposure to his powers had been brief there might be something in his bag of tricks that could help them now. Arya and Jon then turned to look at Harry themselves who stood there lost in thought. When he finally did come back to the moment it was with a look of great unease.

"There might be a way." He admitted with reluctance, really not liking the idea of this. "There is an ability that could be even more potent than a dragon's breath, enough to destroy the Army of the Dead completely if done right but I really am uncertain if it is safe."

"Safe?" Arya said incredulously. "Rather than fight all the wights with men when you can wipe out their entire army by yourself?"

"Quiet!" Harry said sharply in angry rebuke, shocking all of them before he sighed and explained. "Some magic is far too dangerous to be used so casually, the one I am thinking of I have only used twice before and the first time it nearly killed me and the second was extremely brief. It is Fiendfyre, the element spirit." Harry told them and sighed again as they looked at him, expecting more answers so he explained his reluctance to use it on such a scale.

"Fiendfyre is literally living fire, more instinctual than intelligent it only wants to destroy and it burns hotter than a dragon! It is impossible to fully control and you can only really direct it to where you want it to go with great effort. I would only be able to hold it for a few minutes at the most at the scale we need and while I am doing it, I won't be able to do anything else! I have to devote my full attention to directing the fire, leaving me completely defenceless against any wights that manage to get through or the Walkers themselves." He told them and now they too looked uneasy at the thing they were asking of him. Jon then spoke up.

"What if I go with you?" He asked surprising Harry slightly. "I could defend you from the Wights and Walkers while you control the flames."

"Me too." Arya said making Sansa look at both Jon and Arya with alarm and worry. Harry meanwhile frowned deeply.

"Anyone close to me while I am using Fiendfyre is risking being burned by it too, I really can't recommend it." Harry warned them, he should be able to create a safe zone around them but it was still risky for anyone to be with him especially if his control slipped even for a moment.

"I'll take that chance." Jon said, Arya nodding along with him. Harry sighed knowing that taking any more would be too risky so he returned the nod and told them.

"I'll need to make a brief trip back to Bloodstone before we go to pick up some equipment we are going to need and conserve my magic as much as possible until the time is right, I'll create portkeys to get us back to Winterfell when we're done. I won't have the strength to apparate myself more than a few feet, let along all three of us miles and miles." He warned them, remembering the last time he had used magic on this scale during the Battle off the Summer Isles against the Slaver Fleet. Granted he knew a great deal more now and had a better understanding of what he was doing but that in some ways made it far worse...that and the result if he failed he thought grimly.

* * *

The next day Harry, Jon and Arya bid a difficult farewell to Sansa and Bran as they set out on horses for Castle Black. They could have gotten there much faster by dragon but they did not want to risk bringing the great beasts near the Wall in case the Night King surprised them, so they rode horses. Both Jon and Arya admired the Valyrian steel armour he had brought from Bloodstone for them but since the Night King and his Walkers were going to be so close it made sense to give them armour the Walker's weapons couldn't penetrate which was also light and did not inhibit movement. It was rather basic but Harry had as a precaution told Brynden to make, in case the Walkers ever came or as a symbol of their strength and importance to the rest of the world. The dragons had stayed behind and while he was worried for his human going somewhere without him, Talos had seemed just fine in staying with Caralys. That did bring a brief smile to Harry's face wondering if there might be a clutch of dragon eggs soon.

Harry meanwhile wore the crafted suit he had gotten in the Ruins of Valyria, it was inlaid with gold and jewels for decoration but he did not ever care in the slightest about that given where they were going and the danger. He had made the portkeys that would bring them back to Winterfell from their undergarments so there was no chance of losing them and that would be the last magic he did until they reached the spot. He had spent a good part of the night meditating to build up his magical reserves as well as his mental focus.

He only gave the slightest of nods to the Commander of Castle Black and left Jon to deal with his friend while going to a room, locking the door and sat cross-legged on the floor to make sure he had reinforced his control and magic as much as he could.

 **-x-**

Arya had never seen Castle Black or the Wall before but she had somehow imagined much more in regards to the Castle than the bleak and near ruin it really was, the Wall was impressive though she thought especially as she saw the breathtaking view from the top with Jon and his friend Edd. She wondered if maybe one day she would have the chance to explore the vast and untamed lands beyond, if she thought grimly they managed to kill the Night King.

"Are you sure about this?" Edd asked them quietly, looking very worried at the idea of going out to face the Walkers and their army, just the three of them. Jon nodded slightly before trying to reassure him.

"We will meet with the dragons on the other side of the Wall, we cannot risk their fire near here though just in case they damage the Wall." Jon said sticking to the cover story they had come up for how they were going to deal with the wights. No one would doubt the power of dragons and it enabled them to protect Harry's secret, hopefully Jon thought to himself.

* * *

The trio rode their borrowed horses through the long tunnel to the other side of the Wall, they had eschewed Edd's offer of a guide or men to accompany them. The fewer lives at risk the better.

Riding through the burned and seemingly dead forest was spooky and uncomfortable, all three humans felt like eyes were looking at them from behind every single burnt and dead tree trunk or snow covered rocks. They stuck closely together as they rode, worried that the Army of the Dead might be all around them so when they heard a branch snap nearby none of them hesitated at drawing their weapons and focusing intently on the spot in question.

When a tall, broad shouldered man emerged out of the burnt under-brush dressed in black they immediately thought he was a wight but when they saw he straighten up to a stand tall with eyes that were grey rather than the strange and supernatural blue of the wights and their masters. Both Jon and Arya froze at the sight of him.

"Uncle Benjen!" They both cried out in unison and leapt from their horses to go over to him, he accepted Arya's hug slowly while Jon stood slightly back and looked around to see if anyone was around them. Harry meanwhile was staring at the last brother of Eddard Stark, there was he could see a distinct resemblance between him and his late brother but the man's skin he noticed was extremely pale and marked with scars. That was just what his eyes told him, something magical was holding this man just back from the brink of death and it felt like the primal magic of the Children. A last gift he wondered before they had fled the North altogether.

"Jon, Arya its been a while." Benjen said with a slight smile at his niece and nephew. "I have heard about all the troubles you have faced since I last saw you, I know Ned and Lyanna would be proud of you all." He added and a warm smile came over the Stark children, Arya then as she pressed her head against Benjen's chest in another hug noticed something about her uncle that was not right. She looked up at him shocked and he sighed before leaning back against a tree truck.

"As you know Jon, I led a ranging party deep into the Far North to find the White Walkers...they found us first." He said sighing as though he were a man relieving the worst moment of his life, which in this case was probably true. "A walker stabbed me in the gut with a sword of ice...then left me there to die, to turn. The children found me and stopped the Walker's magic from taking hold." Benjen said and that instantly got Harry's attention as maybe it was something they could use against them.

"How?" Harry asked only for another voice to answer the question for Benjen.

"They put a shard of dragonglass in his heart, exactly the same as when they made them." It was a woman's voice and rich with a foreign accent, they all looked over to see a woman in red robes smirking at them. To Arya she was a stranger who made her wary but Jon and Harry instantly recognised her albeit for different reasons. To Jon she was the witch that had made him Lord Commander of the Nights Watch, brought him back to life after being murdered and indirectly gave him the army that had helped to win Winterfell.

Harry however immediately went for his swords, he remembered the woman as the witch at the side of Stannis. One that had burned people alive and used magic to assassinate Renly Baratheon. She merely smiled as she had anticipated his presence.

"Your grace, welcome to the Far North. I see you come equipped to fight the Others and channel my lord's power." She said having seen visions of him coming here and using the flames of R'hllor himself to wipe away the undead. She had been confused at first that her lord would chose to act through one that had slaughtered his servants and worked to prevent the spread of his word in Westeros but she would not question his will. The Rose was the one, so she would ensure it came to pass.

Harry meanwhile was ready to cut her down in a heartbeat, he knew the danger she represented properly now and his first instinct was to kill her, Benjen seeing this spoke up for her.

"She found me, used her magical fire to kill wights while we waited for you to show up." Benjen said in her defence and while he kept a wary eye on her, Harry left his swords where they were.

"Why haven't you brought him back? Like you did with me?" Jon asked standing near his uncle and looked on as Melisandre looked at the king with amusement while Harry glared at her with revulsion. Melisandre briefly turned to him before explaining.

"The shard of frozen fire is what holds back the Other's power but it also would tear his heart apart if it started beating again, to heal him I would have to remove it and that would allow the injury to do its work. Now shall we?" She asked, eager to get going.

Harry was feeling incredibly uneasy around this woman and really did not want her anywhere near this especially as she seemed to know his plan but if Benjen Stark was telling the truth then her powers, she could be a useful asset. However as Arya got back on her horse he whispered in her ear.

"If she shows any sign of betraying us, kill her."

Arya nodded, her own instincts sensing this woman was bad news.

* * *

A wind had whipped up as they approached the lake and started to cross its frozen surface, on any other day Harry would have been worried about them falling through the ice but this sudden blizzard had him on edge more. Visibility was down to no more than a few steps and he could not shake the feeling of corrupt magic, it was magic like his but perverted beyond anything he had ever felt. Even the Warlocks in Qarth had not been as bad as this he thought visibly uncomfortable from the experience.

Then as they reached what was apparently an island in the middle of the lake, the wind which had been growing so strong and was whipping the snow right into their faces suddenly broke for a second and they saw what was immediately around them.

The entire coastline of the lake was covered by a dark mass that they realised to their horror were wights, far more than any of them had ever managed possible. They couldn't see any walkers but for this many wights to be here they must be close by.

Harry gulped and looked at his allies, Jon and Arya were staring in opened mouth horror as although they had known what to expect they had never imagined so many. Benjen and Melisandre meanwhile just stared impassively at the nightmare around them, focused on what they had to do. The small group moved to the centre of the tiny island, Harry at the centre while each of the others established their perimeter around him. Jon briefly looked to him and nodded which Harry returned more nervous than he had ever been. Reaching his hand high into the sky he summoned all the magic he had spent the last few days storing and all the willpower he had.

"FIENDFYRE!"

For a moment it looked like nothing was going to happen, Harry just stood there with his hand in the air and his companions were concerned something bad had happened but then time seemed to slow down as a strong glow appeared in the palm of his outstretched hand which seemed to get brighter and brighter until they all had to turn away or be blinded.

Then it exploded upward with enormous force, knocking each of his companions to the ground as Harry staggered from the sheer force of it but from his hand a torrent of flame appeared and reached high into the sky, forming quickly into a hawk that seemed to shriek before diving down onto the wights who started charging.

 **-x-**

Jon started in pure fear and amazement at the sight before him, the golden flames so large and so hot that they made those from his dragon look like paltry embers in comparison. He only felt like his skin was burning thankfully and was exceptionally glad Sansa and Arya had agreed to keep his secret (his dragon explained away as having a Valyrian mother) rather than face the kind of power his goodbrother was using now in some doomed attempt to seize the throne.

Looking as the flaming hawk crashed down on the shore and the frozen surface of the lake, wights seemed to burst into nothing upon contact with the golden fire. Any snow or ice vanished like it was never there as the flames moved in a circle around them and at last he understood why Harry had not wanted too many people around him. The heat was more intense than any thing he had ever seen and in his warm furs he felt like he was burning, sweating running down his face.

Suddenly he saw wight shadowcats and wolves moving towards them, some slipping through the curtain of flame that surrounded them. He raised _Dark Sister_ and readied himself only to be shocked when the blade of his sword was engulfed in flames, catching Melisandre out of the corner of his eye give him a sly wink before turning back to face the enemy.

Jon however had no chance to be confused as the wight shadowcat lunged at him, reacting by instinct Jon struck with a slash at the creature while sidestepping slightly so the flaming corpse went straight past him.

This was certainly one of the strangest days of his life he thought as he saw a pair of wight wolves coming at him and took his ready position.

 **-x-**

Arya was likewise stunned when her sword was covered in flames but glad of it when a wight direwolf leapt straight at her, ducking low she impaled her sword into its belly causing it to erupt into flame before pulling her sword free to stab it into the head of the next wolf that came at her. Seeing beasts that were just like her own familiar rotting and still charging at them with those horrible blue eyes was deeply unsettling to her but with the discipline instilled in her by Jaqen and Syrio during her time at Bloodstone she kept fighting.

Those quick reflexes and training to be flexible are what saved her moments later as a wight unicorn came charging at her with its horn trying to impale her, she only just managed to dodge the incredibly fast thrust, feeling the horn as it missed her stomach by less than the width of a finger. She pulled the dragonglass dagger from her waist with her free hand before stabbing it straight into the creature's eye. It shrieked before falling down dead at her feet.

Her heart was thundering in her chest and she had never been more scared in her life, surrounded by the undead and their demonic masters but at the same time never had she felt so much a Stark, like her ancient ancestors she and her family stood against the Others in defence of the living.

 **-x-**

Melisandre was smiling wider than she ever had before as she saw her god's essence emerging from the man she had dismissed as a heretic and a murderer, his power washing over her in waves like a soothing and refreshing rain and giving her greater strength in her magic. Looking over she saw some wight snow bears had managed to get through the veil of fire, so she grinned widely and summoned her own power and with a laugh that was both childlike in its joy and disturbing at the same time released a stream of fire from her hands.

The snow bear was consumed by the flames and as more wights came towards her she thrust out her hands, blasting them with fire that while not as hot or destructive as her lord's flames was more than strong enough to deal with these moving corpses.

Benjen was dealing with a wight boar using the dragonglass daggers she had given him and looking vaguely hopeful that things were going well, and she was feeling better than she had for a long time. Everything was going just as she had foreseen.

 **-x-**

Hopeful and invigorated were the last words Harry would use to describe his own thoughts on the situation at that moment though.

He had never in his life experienced the sheer intensity of pain that he was feeling at this moment, every part of his body from his toes to the top of his head felt like it was burning, white hot pain stabbed at his eyes.

He was in complete and total agony but given the situation he gritted his teeth so hard he expected them to break, and kept on going. The skin of his hand was slowly blackening from the heat and still he forced himself to continue, it was vital...they had to destroy the wights he thought with difficulty to keep his mental focus as his heart beat painfully hard in his chest and blood started running down his face from his ears, his nose, his mouth and the corners of his eyes.

 **-x-**

The Night King watched having already lost his steed to the flames conjured by the outsider which had also wiped away most of his army, he fumed this creature was not part of his design and had cost him too much as it was. So he took hold of the ice covered spear that he had strapped to his back and took careful aim at the sorcerer casting the flames, drew back his arm and threw that long projectile straight at the target with all of his enhanced strength.

 **-x-**

With his attention focused so completely on keeping the Fiendfyre going Harry had no time to react to the deadly javelin that was coming straight at him, even if he had noticed it that would only leave him a split second to evade it anyway.

The impact created a clang so loud that it for a moment deafened those who heard it and the Valyrian steel that protected Harry's chest was actually dented from the sheer force of impact but thankfully the metal held. The flames he was created disappeared in an instant as he was thrown backwards and knocked unconscious, Jon and Arya looked on with horror as Harry fell before rushing over to see if he was okay. Much to their relief he was still breathing but the blood coming from all over his face and the very laboured breathing was certainly not a good sign they realised. Nor was the heavy burns on his right hand.

Melisandre was strangely calm as she conjured a wall of flame around them and came over to the fallen king, her magic could clearly see the damage her lord's power had reeked on his body. His heart was under great strain, he was bleeding inside and his own magic was too depleted to begin healing him.

Without help he would not survive and for a moment she considered letting him die for what he had done to the followers of the true god in the past, however as Benjen kept watch and saw the last wights and their masters charging she knelt down and pulled a tiny bottle from the depths of her robes before handing it to Arya who looked at it with confusion.

"Phoenix tears, the birds are not gone as many believe but they can save his life. Pour the contents down his throat when you get back to Winterfell." She told her and turned to Benjen who nodded, she had described her vision to him and this was how it must be...the only reason she was helping Harry Tyrell.

Arya looked shocked having learnt about magical legends while on Bloodstone and she had heard the Phoenixes were extinct, but Jon said to both Melisandre and Benjen with particular attention paid to his uncle who he had only just gotten back.

"We can't leave you here!"

"Calm yourself Snowstark, we will not die at their hands but our own as I am sure the old one has told you about these." Melisandre said pulling out small crystal from the depths of her robes, it was clear but inside a flame burnt before their eyes. Closing her eyes she said with magic in her voice too ensure it had the desired effect.

"Activate."

Before Jon or Arya could protest the portkeys pulled them and the unconscious Harry away from the lake and the walkers who had surrounded them with all the wights that remained. Benjen turned to Melisandre who smiled before she crushed the crystal in her hand, pouring all the magic she had into it.

The explosion was immediately, spreading outwards fuelled by her magic and consuming the last of the wights.

 **-x-**

The Night King and his brothers and sons if your took that viewpoint to see them that way was knocked back a step by the sheer force of the explosion but weathered it with their extreme inner cold however as he looked around the now scorched lake bed he glared.

At least he had the scant satisfaction of killing the sorcerer that had destroyed his army.

* * *

 _Hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I hope to have the next chapter up early in the new year, please review and let me know what you think._

 _ **Next Chapter** – The Final Battle dawns _


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